Draymond criticizes Gobert for not guarding Jokic in the playoffs originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green never shies away from an opportunity to throw shade at Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert.
On the most recent episode of the Warriors star’s podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” Green apparently took shots at Gobert for failing to defend three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić during Minnesota’s Western Conference semifinal matchup with the Denver Nuggets.
Green highlighted that despite winning his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award this season, Gobert often allowed Jokić to be guarded by teammate Karl Anthony Towns.
“How about this, we sit here falling apart [Karl Anthony-Towns] having to stop [Nikola Jokić] who’s a center, and the Defensive Player of the Year is on his team and he’s a center,” Green said on his podcast. Very interesting how the cookie crumbles. Wow, unbelievable.
“It’s like Marcus Smart won Defensive Player of the Year back then. [in 2022]what he did, but they said, ‘Jaylen [Brown] you have to go protect Steph [Curry]. But Marcus Smart is a point guard. Marcus Smart, you won Defensive Player of the Year, you have to go to guard Steph, right?”
“I can’t help but notice that there is a center [Gobert] who won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the fourth time. Tied with names like Hall of Fame great Ben Wallace. Hall of Fame great Dikembe Mutombo. Ahead of names like the great David Robinson, the great Hakeem the Dream Olajuwon, the great Dwight Howard. Ahead of people like these guys. And we have a center and we are asking KAT to protect the center. And we got the four-time Defensive Player of the Year on our team.”
It’s not the first time Green has shot at Gobert during the series against Jokić. During a recent appearance on TNT’s Inside The NBA, Green proclaimed that Gobert it was “roast chicken” in his confrontation with the current MVP.
Draymond: “The chicken barbecue is happening… I’m a truth teller and now the truth is that Rudy Gobert doesn’t stand a chance against the Joker.” pic.twitter.com/SJvNrfTm4n
– NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 15, 2024
Green and Gobert have had a long-running and well-publicized feud for years, including a stunning moment when the Warriors forward put the Timberwolves on big man in a chokehold during a first-quarter brawl in a Nov. 14 matchup between Golden State and Minnesota.
With the Timberwolves and Nuggets set to face off in Game 7 on Sunday in Denver, you can count on Green closely monitoring Gobert’s performance in Minnesota’s game-winner or go-home game.
