Draymond Green’s recent on-court behavior has caused quite a stir among NBA fans and the media. In the past few weeks, he was involved in two incidents that led to suspensions, and as a result, he has been facing a lot of criticism and backlash.
But while many are asking what’s wrong with the Golden State Warriors star, Shaquille O’Neal offered a very different take recently in an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.
Green is currently serving an indefinite suspension for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić’s head on Dec. 12. That incident came just a couple of weeks after he returned from a five-game suspension for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.
Those incidents, along with others in Green’s past, have led many to rip the four-time NBA champion. But O’Neal says everybody has the wrong idea about the Warriors veteran.
“There’s nothing wrong with Draymond,” O’Neal said. “Ya’ll treating him like he’s crazy. He’s not crazy — he’s been playing like this the whole time, the same way that got him four championships.
“There’s nothing wrong with him. That’s the only thing I don’t like about [people saying] ‘He needs help. He needs help.’
The NBA legend and TNT’s Inside the NBA analyst said Green has played aggressively his entire career.
“He’s been playing like this the whole time,” O’Neal said. “How many techs does he average a year? How many times do you see him going after the referee? This is the way he has to play to be Draymond Green. Nice guy, well-respected, very intelligent …
“For everybody saying, ‘He needs help,’ I’m not going to say that. This is the way he’s been.
O’Neal’s defense of Green’s aggressiveness stands in contrast to his fellow Inside the NBA analysts. Kenny Smith noted recently that at Green’s age, “we should be out of the apology stages in his career.” Charles Barkley laid it out bluntly to CNN: “I like Draymond. But you can’t punch guys.”
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.