Draymond Green has heard enough. The Warriors veteran unleashed a full-throated defense of teammate Jonathan Kuminga this week, pushing back on what he sees as tired narratives surrounding the young forward’s role.
The back-and-forth began after Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski were shifted to the bench during Golden State’s recent back-to-back set in San Antonio, a move that reignited speculation about Kuminga’s happiness.
Green pointed to a growing wave of online chatter that framed Kuminga as a scapegoat following Golden State’s six-and-six start. As he put it:
“Obviously, I think JK has been playing really well. So to go out of the starting lineup, it kind of sucks,” Green shared on The Draymond Green Show. “But I think also people make starting and coming off the bench sometimes more than what it really is.
“I know everyone loves a good drama. Everybody’s saying, ‘Oh man, he’s being the scapegoat,’ and this, that and all that. There’s no scapegoat. We’re 13 games in. Ironically, all the people that start running around saying scapegoat are people that never won. So you think there’s a scapegoat needed. But in Game 12, when you know what it takes to win a championship, there’s no scapegoat. In Game 12, also when you’re not front-runners and you’re champions, there’s no scapegoat anyway.
“Decisions are just kind of made, and you move on and you make the best decision that you think is going to put you in position to win. And so I found it very funny hearing a lot of people that never won and some losers say, ‘Oh man, he’s being scapegoated,’ like, only bad teams and losers panic in Game 12 of an 82-game season with 70 games left.”
It’s clear Green won’t tolerate the false narrative surrounding his teammate.
“I know JK was questionable to see if he was going to play last night, and he ended up not playing because he wasn’t really feeling it,” Green shared. “But of course, people are going to create drama and say Kuminga didn’t come out after halftime because he was mad he didn’t play. Unfortunately, guys, I live this thing. So I know a few more things that y’all don’t know. And I know JK was questionable because his knees were sore before OKC. Voila! Oh my God! It’s not what y’all thought. It’s unbelievable. Look at that.
“How about this? JK has been one of the most bought-in guys on the team all year. How about that? Oh my God, he’s not the f–king a–hole and baby that y’all try to make him out to be, and think he’s always complaining. How about that? JK has made it very clear he wants to be an All-Star. He thinks he has All-Star potential, and he wants to fulfill that. He’s made that very clear, 1,000 percent we all know that. So when you feel like things aren’t quite going your way to allow it, that you’re going to be upset as a competitor, of course. Kid works his ass off.
“Of course, you want to feel some type of way. Who would want someone that doesn’t feel any type of way? Great. I’ll show you a loser right to your face. So I found that very interesting. You all just kind of try to take whatever you want and spin it, and I’m here to tell you that you never have to do that with my words.”
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