Getty Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors.
Over the years, the Golden State Warriors have established themselves as one of the most dominant franchises in NBA history. But not only that, their core trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green has also left quite a mark on the league as well.
Curry, Thompson, and Green have won four titles together – four of the last eight championships, to be exact. It’s not hard to believe that some players would want to play alongside them, but when Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes was asked about it, he thought it was a trap question.
“I wouldn’t say I wonder that,” Barnes told Eric Koreen of The Athletic when asked if he’s ever thought about what it would be like to play with elite shooters like Curry and Thompson. “I don’t know how to answer that. You trying to set me up?”
Barnes took home the Rookie of the Year award last season, but his Raptors have struggled this year. Toronto currently sits at 23-28 on the year, which is good for 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. In turn, some have questioned whether or not they could choose to sell assets at the February 9 trade deadline.
In addition, Barnes was compared to Green in the way that he approaches the game. Green agreed with the comparison, explaining some of the similarities to Koreen.
“I love his game because it’s not predicated on sheer skill or sheer will,” Green said. “It’s a mixture of all of that. It’s a mixture of skill. It’s a mixture of will. It’s a mixture of smarts. It’s a mixture of length and athleticism.”
There are certainly notable parallels between him and Green. They’re both above-average defenders, not the best shooters, and have a knack for making the right play.
Nick Nurse Makes Bold Claim About Warriors
This interview occurred on the night of the Warriors’ latest meeting with the Raptors, which was on January 27. Golden State took home the victory behind an impressive 35-point performance by Curry, who led the Warriors in scoring.
After the game, head coach Nick Nurse had some kind words for the Warriors, noting that they are the best team in the league when it comes to shooting and movement.
“For sure. They are,” Nurse said via the Raptors’ official YouTube channel. “The level and quantity of shooters, [the] speed that they run and cut, nobody else has that when they’re rolling. It’s just, it’s a challenge. I say that, ‘They run really fast and you better be ready to run fast with them, and change directions.’”
Draymond Green Praises Jonathan Kuminga
And while Green has a fondness for Barnes, he also appreciates his teammates, one of whom has a chance to step into a similar role to the one Green has occupied. Jonathan Kuminga has been earning more consistent minutes, and after Golden State’s January 22 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Green praised the young forward.
“Thought he did a really good job of playing under control and taking advantage of those mismatches,” Green said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “And then also defensively just hounding guys, like he’s been hounding the ball. It’s good.”