Draymond Green nudges Kevin Durant aside & crowns Kyrie Irving as greatest scorer in NBA
Over the years, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant have had a complex relationship. The Golden State Warriors forward recently took a dig at his former temmate with his take regarding the greatest scorer in the league.
Since entering the league back in 2007, KD has cemented himself as an all-time great offensive talent. He has never averaged less than 20 points per game in a season and has four scoring titles on his resumé. Nevertheless, Green doesn't feel that Durant is the greatest scorer in the NBA at the moment.
During a recent episode of his podcast, Draymond Green explained why he's picking Kyrie Irving over Durant as the better scorer. He feels life can be made tough for KD on offense, but the same can't be said for Irving.
"Kyrie Irving is the scorer that the world thinks of Kevin Durant," Green said.
"Kyrie Irving, you can't do anything to make it hard on him. You can't make the game tough for Kyrie."
This take from Green comes on the heels of Irving's incredible game-winner against the Denver Nuggets. With no time left on the clock, the Dallas Mavericks star managed a floater off with his less dominant left hand to upset the defending champs.
As for Durant, he's still one of the league's top scorers. His 27.8 PPG average is the fourth-highest in the NBA this season. The only players scoring more points a night than KD are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic.
Draymond Green on his current relationship with Kevin Durant
The main reason why this quote has garnered a lot of attention is because of the history between Draymond Green and Kevin Durant. Dating back to before they were teammates, things have been up-and-down to say the least.
As is widely known, Green has taken the credit for helping get Durant to the Golden State Warriors back in 2016. However, the former Defensive Player of the Year might have also played a role his depature. During the 2019 season, the two got into it during a game that caught a lot of eyes.
A few weeks ago, Green sat down with Carmelo Anthony on his "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast. Among the things to come up was the status of his relationship with Durant. Draymond Green shrugged things off but admitted that he still has a lot of love for his former teammate.
"I respect KD as a basketball player," Green said. "He's one of the best we've ever seen. That's kind of where it's at."
"I got no ill will. I actually got nothing but love for KD, actually."
As the regular season comes to a close, Green and Durant are fighting for playoff position on their respective teams. The Phoenix Suns are eight with a 39-29 record, while the Warriors are hanging on to 10th place at 35-32.