Jay Williams sparks firestorm with bold Steph Curry’s leadership claim amid Draymond Green’s ejection
Steph Curry was left to shoulder much of the load for the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night when Draymond Green was ejected early on in the first quarter. Early on in the team's Mar. 27 showdown with the Orlando Magic, Draymond Green was called for a foul. Moments later, Andrew Wiggins was then called for a foul, with Draymond Green pleading his teammate's case to referees.
After being given a technical for his conduct when speaking to the official, Green only became more heated, earning himself a second technical. The second tech signaled the end of his night, before it ever really got going, and left Steph Curry visibly frustrated on the sideline.
Despite a sensational win that saw Curry rack up a double-double, questions have now been raised as to Curry's leadership ability. Former NBA player Jay Williams opened up on the situation Thursday morning on ESPN's First Take, indicating that Steph Curry's leadership has come under fire.
"I'm getting texts from people that I really value their decision. Right. High level people. And what these texts are reading is, well, how about the leadership of Stephen Curry? That's where these conversations are going. ... They're calling Steph out for him not controlling Draymond. ...
"Draymond Green is diminishing the ultimate legacy of how people are looking at the leadership of Stephen Curry. That's what's happening"
Steph Curry and Steve Kerr react to Draymond Green's ejection following win over the Magic
As previously mentioned, Steph Curry looked visibly frustrated after Draymond Green was tossed from the Warriors' game with the Magic. Despite that, he had a massive game that saw him both get his teammates involved, and score some clutch late-game buckets.
After the game, both Curry and Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke to media members. As Curry indicated, with he and the team looking to improve their standing in the West heading into what will likely be a play-in appearance, the Warriors need Green.
The Warriors currently sit in tenth in the West, just one game ahead of the Houston Rockets who are in 11th place. In addition, the LA Lakers now sit 2.5 games ahead of the Warriors in ninth place, making it clear that the team needs to string together wins in the final stretch of the season.
"We know how important this part of the season is in our ability to get into a rhythm and secure a play-in opportunity. We don't want to give ourselves self-inflicted wounds. We all care. We all are passionate about the game and our chances to have something to play for down the stretch."
Steve Kerr echoed a similar sentiment, indicating that it was a tough way to start the game, and Green's ejection was absolutely justified. As he also explained, he was proud of his team for battling through the adversity and securing a big win.
The Warriors will be back in action on Friday when they play the Charlotte Hornets, which will kick off their final 10 games of the season.