It seems that Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is on a quest to be the talk of the town this summer.
He has put out several controversial statements recently. Now, his claim that less than 60 percent of NBA players have any sort of basketball IQ might some eyebrows.
“There’s not many guys that have a basketball IQ in the NBA,” Green said on Patrick Beverley’s podcast. “You talking less than 60 percent of the NBA…don’t have an IQ. Knowing the game of basketball in this league is one of the biggest skills you can have because it separates you immediately. Maybe not as extreme as Steph Curry jump shot separates him, but just having a basketball IQ in this league immediately gives you a leg up because guys don’t understand the game.”
The percentage the four-time All-Star specified might be a bit harsh. Of course, there are players who have heavily relied on their talents and hard work to make it in the league.
However, Green may have gone overboard by saying many of them don’t have the type of basketball IQ that fans often expect from professional hoopers. After all, not every aspiring player has found success in making it to the world’s premier basketball league.
At the end of the day, stirring the pot is nothing new for the veteran.
For instance, his view of his punching incident with Jordan Poole last year hasn’t sat well with some folks, particularly Poole’s father, who recently fired back on Twitter.
The former Defensive Player of the Year also went on a recent attack against Andrew Nicholson, his draft classmate who went 16 spots ahead of him in 2012. Green, while professing his anger at being overlooked in the draft, took a dig at Nicholson by saying he doesn’t look like a basketball player.
That prompted the St. Bonaventure University product to address the disrespect and call out Green for his “insecurity.”
Only time will tell if the 33-year-old continues to make headlines for controversial reasons. But people shouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case, especially after he recently said that his stance on Chris Paul doesn’t have to change just because they’re teammates now.
Warriors fans are still hoping, though, that Green’s antics won’t affect the team’s championship aspirations this coming season. Golden State is looking to raise the franchise’s eighth banner and win its fifth championship in less than a decade.
