Jusuf Nurkic makes hay as antagonist Draymond Green, Warriors bow out of NBA postseason with cryptic tweet
Jusuf Nurkic's Twitter fingers were active after Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors were eliminated from the 2024 NBA Playoffs contention. Nurkic and Green's beef erupted this season after the latter punched him during a game. Green was issued a 12-game suspension by the league for it.
Meanwhile, Nurkic commented on Green's issues on the court, saying that the former DPOY "needs help," as it was the second time he was ejected in weeks for a non-basketball incident. Green put Rudy Gobert in a chokehold a few games before, which saw him serve a five-game suspension.
Their first matchup after that incident is when the tension picked up. After a heated back-and-forth, Nurkic flamed Green, saying he hadn't learned anything despite getting counseling for his issues and didn't deserve another chance. With the beef still fresh, Jusuf Nurkic mocked Draymond Green and the Dubs on Twitter after their playoff hopes ended with a cryptic post.
"That's all folks," read the gif.
The gif was inspired by the Looney Tunes' signature closing sequence. The post was directly related to the Warriors' season ending after a 118-94 blowout loss to the Sacramento Kings in the 9-10 seed NBA Play-In Tournament game on Tuesday.
Draymond Green issues unexpected response after Warriors face April exit
Draymond Green, being the competitor he's been, did a decent job of hiding his emotions after the Warriors season wrapped up on Tuesday. The disappointing exit will weigh on his and the Warriors' shoulders, as they had the core available for most of the year, making the early exit their biggest low point as a team.
However, reflecting on how the season went, Green shrugged off the agony and labeled this season as 'interesting' for the Dubs.
"Interesting. Very interesting. But it was fun," Green said.
The Golden State Warriors were healthy and had sharpened their roster by adding the veteran presence of Chris Paul last offseason. They resolved several issues from last season, including bench production and performance away from home. Meanwhile, Jonathan Kuminga made the expected leap, too.
Golden State seemingly put itself in a position for another deep playoff run, but it wasn't meant to be. Despite Steph Curry playing 74 games, Klay Thompson 77 and the Dubs ending the year with two more wins than in 2023, they faltered and had their season done before the playoffs proper.
Barring Steph Curry and Draymond Green, who dealt with several non-basketball-related issues this year, the Warriors didn't get consistent production from the rest of the group, including Thompson.
With an early offseason ahead, the Warriors have plenty of decisions to make, including the future of Thompson and the need to improve the roster around Curry and Green.