Warriors’ Draymond Green tries to clarify Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving comparison

Two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant is generally praised for his sharp shooting skills.

Despite leading the league in scoring with four points during his prolific career, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green recently argued that Durant should not be considered the NBA’s best scorer.

At one point during a recent “Draymond Green Show,” the Warriors star began comparing Durant to Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving.

Green played three seasons with Durant in Northern California. Green and Durant seemed close enough to win two championships together, but the fundamental rift between them seems to have grown in recent years.

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Shortly after Green’s altercation with Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, Durant publicly expressed his hope that Green would eventually seek “the help he needs.”

“It was insane to watch that,” Durant said in December. “I’m glad Nurk is okay. I’ve never seen anything like this on a basketball court in an NBA game. I hope Draymond gets the help he needs. It’s one incident after another. I I know Draymond, but he’s not…he never did that.”I was around him when he came into the league.Hopefully he gets back on the court.” I hope you get the help you need to forget about it all.”

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Green took issue with Durant’s comments and decided to fire back on his podcast in January.

“I’ll tell you, I was really upset when Kevin Durant said, ‘He wasn’t that guy when I was around. I hope he gets the help he needs,'” Green said. said at the time.

#23 Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors plays against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on November 11, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Shearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Green tried to clarify his latest assessment of Durant by claiming that Durant admires the Suns star.

“The world is going to take this the wrong way and try to make it something different when it’s actually a compliment. … I think Kyrie Irving is what the world thinks Kevin Durant is.” I said he’s a scorer, and what I meant was, sometimes there are some things you can do to be a little tougher on Kevin.

“Why? Because he’s 7-foot and he handles the ball well. He’s 7-foot, so when the timing is right, he can put pressure and press up on Kevin and make things a little bit harder. Sometimes, he has to.” Turn your back or something to throw the rhythm off a little bit. ”

Green then offered a somewhat convoluted argument as to why he thinks Irving’s skill set will pose such a problem for opposing teams.

Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks walks into the basket during a game at Barclays Center on February 6, 2024 in Brooklyn, New York. (David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images)

“Kyrie Irving, nothing can hurt him,” Green declared. “You can’t make the game too tough for Kyrie. He’s one of the best 3-point shooters, one of the best mid-rangers, and probably the best finisher in the NBA, if not definitely the best. .”

“He has a floater with either hand, he can finish to the rim with either hand, and Kyrie can also flip the switch and hit a midrange jump shot with his left hand…actually, to stop Kyrie from scoring. There’s nothing we can do but try our best to make him take the tough shots and live with the consequences.”

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The NBA reinstated Green in January. He signed a four-year contract extension with the Warriors in late June. He was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and has long been considered a key player in the Warriors’ dynasty that produced four NBA titles.

According to ESPN, Green lost just under $2 million in wages during his suspension.

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