Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Draymond Green's assessment of modern NBA is spot on

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Feb 17, 2025 8:15 AM ET

Draymond Green used the All-Star platform to get several strong points across, but none hit home more than his take on the modern game.

The Warriors star declared the NBA "very boring" and lacking in "substance" while describing how nearly every team runs the same offense — run and shoot threes. Green cited comments by the late Kobe Bryant, who once called the modern NBA "accidental basketball" lacking structure or a set game plan with Xs and Os.

“He couldn’t have been more right," Green said of Bryant's past comments.

In response to Green's strong take, many fans and analysts blamed the Warriors for the state of the game, seeing how Stephen Curry and Co. weaponized the three-point shot like no team in history. Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson went as far as to dismiss Green's comments and questioned his limited skillset on a basketball floor.

"It might be boring to him because if he’s not passing the ball to Curry, what is he doing?" Robertson said of Green.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SiriusXM NBA Radio (@siriusxmnbaradio)

With all due respect to Mr. Robertson, the Warriors wouldn't have won any of their previous four titles without Green. His ability to guard all five positions afforded Steve Kerr the luxury to field smaller lineups, forcing opponents to adjust without much success. Furthermore, Green has been the Warriors' de facto point guard ever since he replaced David Lee in the starting unit in 2014, allowing Curry to run around screens and shoot without the burden of being a playmaker.

No accidental threes in Golden State

It's also ignorant to point fingers at the Warriors for the NBA's three-point problem. Under Kerr, the Warriors have routinely led the NBA in passes made and assists per game — metrics indicating that nearly every three is created by design, not accident. Sure, there are times when Curry launches from halfcourt, but those shots are few and far between the quality looks the Warriors generate through body and ball movement, pin downs and misdirection.

In comparison, this year's Celtics average 272.5 passes per game to Golden State's 329.7 — but attempt 5.2 more threes per game. Those numbers encapsulate Green's assessment: the Celtics shoot the first available three rather than hunting a quality look.

The Celtics' formula is obviously working, with the franchise favored to repeat as NBA champions. However, their playing style is way closer to "accidental basketball" than the aesthetically pleasing brand of hoops Curry, Green and Co. have produced for a decade.

If the Celtics capture the title again, they have no reason to change a thing, and why would they? But that doesn't make Green any less right.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

More must-reads: