The offseason is the one time when NBA players can spend a lot more time with the basketball community outside the ones that are in the league. We have seen active participation from NBA players in pro-am leagues and basketball camps across the country, with the latter being extremely important. Young players in school require guidance, and these camps are frequented by NBA players that want to talk to the next generation.
We have already seen the likes of Bradley Beal go viral for telling his AAU team the hard truth in a game or Patrick Beverley telling kids to find their niche. Now, it seems Draymond Green is joining them after delivering a passionate speech to the young players at the Rico Hines Basketball Camp.
Similar to what Beal had said earlier in the summer, Draymond emphasized the importance of playing a role to the kids as not everybody will be an elite scorer.
https://twitter.com/playoffdraymond/status/1561752975072235520
“At the end of the day, motherf***ers have to play a role in the NBA. There’s 2 dudes on a team that can do whatever they want and the 13 others gotta play a role. There’s 2 guys on one team and everybody else got a role, so you gotta master your role or get the f*** out. It’s that simple.”
The game of basketball is much bigger than what we see on TV. Not everybody on the court is allowed to just take the ball up the floor and drain a stepback jumper in the face of a defender like James Harden or Luka Doncic would. If someone not at the level of those players did it, they’d probably be booking a one-way express ticket to the bench.
Running, grinding, and working on your skills will help the team most in crunch time, and Draymond let the kids know what it takes to be a winner in the NBA. His 4 championship rings prove he knows a thing or two about winning.
