With the Golden State Warriors out of the playoffs, Draymond Green has more time to follow the games and share his opinions. Instead of using his podcast, this time he joined TNT’s “Inside The NBA” to discuss various NBA topics, and he didn’t hesitate to criticize one of his long-time rivals, Phoenix Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic.
Green held Nurkic responsible for the Suns’ early exit from the playoffs in their first-round match against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ignoring the Bosnian center’s efforts during the playoffs, Green remarked, “The Suns have no big man… KD is the Suns’ big man. They got no big man.”
Despite Nurkic performing reasonably well as the starting center in the regular season, he struggled significantly in the playoffs. He couldn’t keep up with the Timberwolves, averaging 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in the four matches.
Some might think Green is stirring up trouble again by reigniting his ongoing conflict with the 7-foot center, but he also made a valid observation about the Suns’ lack of a strong inside presence.
The Ongoing Conflict Between Green and Nurkic
Draymond Green and Jusuf Nurkic’s issues date back to December 2023 when the Warriors and Suns faced off in a regular season game. During that game, Green struck Nurkic in the face, resulting in a 12-game suspension for the four-time champion.
When Green returned from suspension, they met again in another game filled with heated exchanges. After the game, Nurkic said in an interview, “It’s sad. He didn’t learn anything. Just a matter of time, he’s going to hit somebody else again.”
Green did not take that lightly. He criticized Nurkic on “The Draymond Green Show,” to which Nurkic responded on X, saying Green needed therapy. Green then called Nurkic a “softy” and a “coward” on his podcast.
Though it seemed like their feud had ended, Nurkic reignited it by mocking the Warriors’ playoff elimination on X. In response, Green wrote, “Unfortunately, that’s all folks!” after the Suns’ loss, mimicking Nurkic’s earlier taunt. Their rivalry appears far from over and will likely continue into the next season, giving fans more drama to look forward to.
