Why Stephen A. loved Draymond’s Warriors championship declaration

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Why Stephen A. loved Draymond’s Warriors championship declaration originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Draymond Green shocked the NBA world, and quite possibly his own teammates, when he made a bold Warriors declaration as a guest analyst on TNT’s coverage of the All-Star Game on Sunday.

The veteran forward did not mince words when declaring that Golden State will win another championship this summer after adding Jimmy Butler prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

No pressure, right?

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reacted to Green’s comments on Monday’s episode of “First Take” and explained why he appreciates the bold prediction.

“Well I love it, and I love it because now he’s got to go out there and back it up and I think it’s made the latter part of this NBA season that much more compelling,” Smith said. “I think it’s increased it exponentially so, the fact of the matter is, you have the greatest shooter on God’s green Earth that is still a superstar in this league playing for the Golden State Warriors …

“We know what Steph Curry is, we know what he brings to the table. Jimmy Butler brings another dimension, and I can respect where Draymond is coming from, because you have a guy that’s totally different from Steph Curry. But it’s complemented them thus far, they’re 3-1 in the four games that Jimmy Butler’s been there.”

Smith believes Butler not only can be impactful as a scorer and as a playmaker, but his ability to consistently get to the free-throw line can be beneficial in helping preserve a soon-to-be 37-year-old Curry.

“[Butler’s] accumulated 40 free throws in the four games that he’s played,” Smith explained. “So you’ve got a guy that’s not Andrew Wiggins, that knows when to be aggressive, knows how to be aggressive, and most importantly, he spares Steph Curry. Not just because he can be a bona fide secondary option, but because he gets to the free-throw line.

“We’ve got to remember who Steph Curry is and his greatest asset, outside of his marksmanship, is his conditioning. But he is going to be 37 years of age, and his movement without the basketball and…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-stephen-loved-draymonds-warriors-120917580.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-02-17 12:09:00

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