Getty Draymond Green defends Jayson Tatum during Game Six of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics.
An inordinate amount of television airtime and printed words have been devoted to Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green over the years, and a non-negligible portion of that coverage has been less than flattering. To a segment of the hoops fandom, he’s just the guy who punched Jordan Poole, the one who got into it with Kevin Durant when they were teammates and the dude who mixes it up with fans.
Less reported are all the good things that Green does, and we’re not just talking about on the hardwood for the Dubs (with whom he has compiled a Hall of Fame resume).
Even his biggest on-court rivals have benefited from the generosity Green has shown with his time and brain space over the years. Case in point: Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum who, just a few, short months ago, was duking it out with Draymond for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
For a December 23 feature by ESPN‘s Ramona Shelburne, Tatum went on record with talk of how Green helped him — and, by extension, the Celtics — carry the momentum generated by a run to the 2022 NBA Finals into 2022-23.
Jayson Tatum Sounds Off Draymond Green’s Words of Wisdom
Tatum was devastated after his Celtics fell short against the Dubs in the six-game Finals series. He couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t even play with his young son for a time. However, he was eventually able to put the series behind him and get on with the business of returning to the title round again this season.
As he was toiling away in the gym over the summer, a friendly call from Green of all people — a guy who had played a part in causing the aforementioned angst — helped give him a new perspective on the situation.
“That’s somebody I’m close with, so we talked for a long time,” Tatum told ESPN.
“He wasn’t rubbing it in or anything. We just talked about the Finals, about life, about him getting married… He was like, ‘Man, what people don’t realize is you get to the Finals and you play longer than anybody else and then you lose and you don’t have s*** to celebrate.'”
The four-time All-Star and 2017 Defensive Player of the Year did more than just empathize with his opponent, though.
Draymond Gets Real on What It Takes to Win
Green knows better than most not just what it takes to win, but what’s required to keep getting back to the league’s mountaintop year in and year out. And, according to Tatum, the cagey vet imparted some of that wisdom to him when they spoke.
“He was really emphasizing that in the beginning of the training camp that we can’t just think we are going to get back there. It’s going to be different. We have to start all the way over. Everybody got to be committed. Everybody got to be ready because it’s not going to be easy. It’s not a guarantee that we get back.”
According to Tatum, that reinforced something in him that he was already beginning to grasp. And, if the Beantowners’ league-leading 23-10 record is any indication, he has been running with that knowledge ever since.
“My mindset was different after [the Finals],” Tatum said. “I know what it takes now. I know what it feels like. They let me get there, and now I know what more I got to do.”