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The Golden State Warriors went through a season full of ups and downs, and the veteran Draymond Green came to the aid of the young teammate Jonathan Kuminga, who was being heavily criticized by the fans. He took the negativity to his podcast and told everyone about the young guy’s great work ethics and the right attitude. Green specifically went against the rumors about Kuminga being a whiner and instead said that his wish of being the best in the league was the reason for his behavior. This defense took place amidst uncertainty not just about the Warriors’ lineup but also Kuminga’s situation.
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In a lively moment of the ‘Draymond Green Show,’ Green, a four-time NBA championship winner, expressed his great disappointment at the way Kuminga was being portrayed along with his other supporters. ‘Holy moly, it’s not what you thought!!!’ Green yelled in the snippet from the podcast episode of that day. He went on to label Kuminga as ‘one of the most partying guys on the team all year’—using the slang to mean hard-working rather than social—and strongly asserted that the young man’s emotional reactions were due to his desire to become great.
Green did not shy away from the topic and spoke frankly about the general opinion that Kuminga is always complaining. He mentioned the player’s explicit aim of being a top-notch actor and characterized his position as follows: ‘JK has made it very clear. He wants to be an ostah. He think he has ostah potential. He’s made that very clear,’ Green said, reducing his distinctive pronunciation of ‘star’ to ‘ostah.’ The seasoned player asserted that it was no bad thing to be emotionally involved in one’s performance. ‘Kia works his ass off. Of course, you’re going 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.’
This latest conviction happens in a period of a tough season for the Warriors when the team has been inconsistent and at times it is Kuminga that the fans lash out at. Even though he is just 23, Kuminga has sometimes shown the kind of potential that led to him being the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, but his development has not been smooth and has drawn some criticism.
The comments section reflected very divided opinions from fans regarding Green’s defense. One fan supported Green’s stance by saying, ‘Totally agree…I like JK and he has off days, but he’s blamed for the reason we don’t win. Everybody has off days including the Vets but they don’t see or say anything about that.’ This comment demonstrates that some fans feel that the young player has become an unjust scapegoat for the team’s wider problems.
Another fan gave a reason for Kuminga’s performances the past weeks, saying, ‘JK was playing with a sore knee. the team sat him for the second game in SA cuz of it. SIMPLE AS THAT. y’all want drama so bad on the Warriors, especially involving JK.’ This viewpoint suggests that the cause for some of Kuminga’s erratic play could be related to pain rather than his attitude.
Nevertheless, some fans remained unconvinced by Green’s arguments. One of the skeptical commenters questioned the veteran’s support, saying, ‘He front n so he’ll look good for other teams knock it off.’ This implies that a small number of people suspect that Green’s public endorsement could be tactical rather than genuine, perhaps aimed at keeping Kuminga’s trade value high.
The debate soon moved on from Kuminga and pointed to more extensive criticism of the Warriors’ roster construction. One long post claimed that Green was in fact a part of the problem, declaring, ‘The real truth is Warriors plotting to trade him. JK is the only young player with true value to get a good return. Podz n Draymond Green are truly the biggest problem of this team.’ This opinion represents the sentiment amongst some fans that the team is not winning and has to make a significant roster change to become contenders again.
Trade rumors were the dominant theme in many responses, and one fan claimed, ‘Package Jimmy podz and Kuminga so a superstar so WE CAN WIN NOW! NOT LATER!’ The use of all capital letters highlighted the urgency felt by a segment of fans in terms of maximizing the value of Curry’s remaining years, even at the cost of the young and talented players. This sentiment was similar to recent speculation involving Jimmy Butler.
Amidst the passionate basketball discussion, a commenter called Green’s words in the video, ‘PLEASE don’t use the Lord’s name in vain the way you just did. God had NOTHING to do with it.’ This religious objection was rather unusual among the mostly basketball-related discussions and indicated that informal speech by actors might at times elicit a critique that goes beyond the issue at hand.
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