Draymond Green has a bit of a reputation in the NBA. Anyone that’s watched him play, or perhaps checked the fine totals of the NBA this season, knows that Green has a tendency to get technical fouls and talk a lot. He’s an honest player, and others have tried to bait him into more of those fines as a legitimate tactic this postseason.
On Sunday night, after a resounding Warriors win in Game 3, Durant was asked whether Green was as “annoying” in real life as he appeared on television by Charles Barkley. Knowing the history between Barkley and Green, the Golden State Warrior defended his teammate and said he could go down and talk to Green and ask him the question himself.
It was a pretty fair dismissal, really, but one that inevitably came up after practice on Monday as the Warriors prepared for Game 4 against Houston. Durant was asked about the exchange, and he was clear that, all jokes aside, the line of questioning isn’t welcome among the Dubs.
Kevin Durant on standing for Draymond Green to Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/cJIkuCyXQS
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) May 21, 2018
“You never take anything serious but you still gotta let him know,” Durant said. “It’s joke time, but it’s not joke time all the time. But it’s all fun and games.”
The last sentence there is notable because Durant wants to minimize the importance of the exchange but he doesn’t exactly do a great job of it. A reporter asked if Barkley is perhaps too hard on Green in his criticism, but he dismissed it.
“They’re grown men,” Durant said. “It don’t really matter.”
The truth, of course, is that it does matter. That’s why Durant didn’t go along with it in the first place. Him letting Barkley joke about Green’s personality is essentially giving credence to the perception that Draymond is a bit much. It’s a wink and a nod that perpetuates a reputation that clearly bothers Green, and his teammates know it.
The lens through which we view NBA players is inevitably painted by the media that covers it. Barkley, though not a true journalist, certainly colors how we talk about players and their personalities. Durant wasn’t having it on Sunday night, and he clarified things on Monday afternoon as well. That matters, and it’s certainly something Green will take note of. Especially given the context.
