Draymond Green embarrassed to learn he’s more Kendrick Perkins than Charles Barkley

Draymond Green just learned he might be closer to Kendrick Perkins in a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey than he is to Charles Barkley in a Houston Rockets uniform.

Green filled in for Shaquille O’Neal on Wednesday night on Inside the NBA. And prior to ESPN’s broadcast of Game 2 between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks, the show discussed Green’s NBA future, with Barkley chiming in to bluntly state the Golden State Warriors’ run as a title contender is over.

“I think the goal is just to not look like you in the Houston Rockets uniform,” Green fired back, referring to the end of Barkley’s career. “Is ultimately the goal for us.”

Green may have intended for the quip to fit the often good-natured ribbing that occurs between Barkley and Shaq on Inside the NBA. But it fell short, and it felt personal. And as Green sat there with a bit of a smirk, his awkward joke failed to garner any laughter from Barkley, Ernie Johnson, or Kenny Smith.

Six hours later, Inside the NBA was discussing James Harden’s high turnover rate and the fact that he has recorded more turnovers than field goals 29 times throughout his playoff career. Barkley and Smith thought that was an awful stat, while Green was more defensive of Harden. And maybe he was defensive of Harden because he knew what was coming.

Draymond Green learning he has 43 games with more turnovers than field goals in the playoffs, tied with Kendrick Perkins for the most since 2003…but at least he’s not Charles Barkley in a Rockets uniform pic.twitter.com/mAcQ8tVePR

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 7, 2026

“Underdog has put the period on this discussion with this,” Ernie Johnson said after receiving an interesting stat from the show’s researcher. “Draymond, you’ve had 43 of those games with more turnovers than field goals. That is tied for the most since 2003.”

As Green, Barkley, and Smith all jumped in with quick attempts at countering the unflattering stat, Johnson urged them to wait until he delivered the final blow.

“Tied with Kendrick Perkins for the most since 2003,” Johnson said.

And that was it. They could defend Draymond Green’s tendency to turn the ball over. But they couldn’t defend the comparison to Perkins, who has often been at odds with Inside the NBA over the years.

“You didn’t have to go that far,” Green said in defeat.

As he requested, Green might not be Barkley’s 15 points and 10 rebounds per game with the Rockets at the end of his Hall-of-Fame career, but only because he’s closer to filling up the stat sheet with turnovers, like Perkins.