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If there's one thing I've learned watching Draymond Green play NBA basketball over the years, it's never to doubt his audacity. The future Golden State Warriors Hall of Famer is known for pushing the envelope, and sometimes in the worst ways. Sunday's de facto playoff game against the Los Angeles Clippers was no different.
Predictably, Green tried to push said envelope at the worst possible time.
With the Warriors trying to stay out of the play-in tournament, they had a chance to knot the game up in the final 30 seconds of overtime. When Gary Payton II found an open Green on the baseline near the rim, Green probably would've scored if he had just gone up strong with the ball. Instead, he awkwardly leaned into contact with Kawhi Leonard for no reason, as he clearly tried to draw a foul.
This was enough to throw Green's shot off, which effectively ended the game when the Clippers got the rebound and, shortly after, hit some clutch free throws. Now, the Warriors have to go through the play-in tournament just to get a playoff spot. Yikes.
This is my formal apology to players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA's leaders in free throw attempts this season. Effectively drawing fouls without hampering your team's offense overall is a difficult skill that only the game's most gifted offensive talents can master. It's not as simple as it seems. Green is not a particularly gifted offensive player, and he never has been.
So, it boggles the mind that he would try this at the end of the Warriors' most important game of the season.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Draymond Green foul-baited an open layup that sealed Warriors' fate into play-in
Continue reading...
Predictably, Green tried to push said envelope at the worst possible time.
With the Warriors trying to stay out of the play-in tournament, they had a chance to knot the game up in the final 30 seconds of overtime. When Gary Payton II found an open Green on the baseline near the rim, Green probably would've scored if he had just gone up strong with the ball. Instead, he awkwardly leaned into contact with Kawhi Leonard for no reason, as he clearly tried to draw a foul.
This was enough to throw Green's shot off, which effectively ended the game when the Clippers got the rebound and, shortly after, hit some clutch free throws. Now, the Warriors have to go through the play-in tournament just to get a playoff spot. Yikes.
Foul Drawing Is A Skill
This is not how you- pic.twitter.com/ou4sCs9n4t
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) April 13, 2025
This is my formal apology to players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA's leaders in free throw attempts this season. Effectively drawing fouls without hampering your team's offense overall is a difficult skill that only the game's most gifted offensive talents can master. It's not as simple as it seems. Green is not a particularly gifted offensive player, and he never has been.
So, it boggles the mind that he would try this at the end of the Warriors' most important game of the season.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Draymond Green foul-baited an open layup that sealed Warriors' fate into play-in
Continue reading...
