After Golden State’s crushing defeat in Game 3 of the Finals, the fans and media couldn’t help but notice the lack of contribution from Draymond Green, who scored just 2 points in the game before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
On ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ Thursday morning, league analyst Ryan Clark became the latest to call out Draymond and bash him for coming up short:
“It’s a problem when J. Cole has a better stat line than Draymond Green,” Clark said. “I know that Draymond Green affects the game in ways the stat sheet doesn’t say. Whether it’s boxing out, whether it’s energy, whether it’s defense. But it’s not all just talk and he’s not just flailing around. He’s the guy that starts the offense, gets them in the right positions. Defensively, he’s the guy that brings the physicality. And when Robert Williams dominates the lane like he did last night, Draymond has to do something.”
Ryan Clark says J Cole has BETTER stats then Draymond Green 😳 pic.twitter.com/Aimo1Satv3
— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2BlogTV) June 9, 2022
Of course, Ryan Clark wasn’t the only one to blast the Golden State swingman. Stephen A. Smith also took a turn vocalizing his thoughts on the subject:
“What the hell was that Draymond? We got to stop this nonsense right now. This is a motivational speech. This is not criticizing Draymond Green. This is motivation, my brother. 2 points? All f that talking for 2 points. I got no problems with your podcast, I love listening to you and I hope you keep doing it. But guess what? That ain’t the priority right now. 2 damn points against the Boston Celtics? That’s two games, Dray. Game 1 you admitted you weren’t yourself, Game 3 you said you played like you know what.”
Draymond has been at the center of media backlash ever since his exile in Game 3. The truth is that Green, despite his flaws, is really important to what the Warriors do and they need him playing well if they want any chance to win the series.
For some reason, he has not stepped up to the plate, and many believe all the talking he does on his podcast has become a major distraction.
Whatever is at the heart of his struggles, he better fix it soon, before it’s too late.
