Why Stephen A loved Draymond’s Warriors championship declaration

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 constantly having to run around with everyone looking for him and creating space for him so he can launch, if you have a guy like Jimmy Butler, not only who can score, but can get to the free-throw line, buying you rest, that also galvanizes you because it ultimately elevates your energy. So we can’t dismiss that.”

While Smith seems to believe the Warriors can make a deep NBA playoff run, he does not believe Green’s proclamation will come true — but appreciates it nonetheless.

“Do I believe they will beat OKC? No. Do I believe they will beat Denver? No. But I do love the fact that Dray has said what he said and put Golden State in that position,” Smith added. “Because he’s the kind of brother, Steph’s the kind of brother, Jimmy Butler’s damn sure the kind of brother, that will go out there and do everything they can to back up Draymond’s words, which will make it very very interesting. I don’t think it’s true, but I love the fact that he said it.”

Green, Curry and Butler will return to the court on Friday against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in the first of a 27-game stretch to close out the 2024-25 NBA regular season.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast