When you look at how Draymond Green and Tim Duncan play the forward position, you can see the very contrast that exists in the position today. Duncan represents the traditional style of the position, while Green plays more of the guard-forward hybrid role. There’s also a vast difference in demeanor, as Duncan is known for his reserved, calm and patient approach to the game, while Green is vocal, emotional, and outspoken.
Green and the Golden State Warriors won’t face Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals as the Oklahoma City Thunder earned that right by beating the Spurs in six games. Duncan is facing potential retirement, meaning Green wouldn’t have a chance to play against him again.
So in his running diary for The Undefeated, Green shared a Duncan story:
“I do have a Tim Duncan story. My rookie year I kind of talked junk to everybody. In the middle of the game I started talking to Tim, and I had already got into it with somebody on their team. I don’t remember who it was. But I started talking to Tim and he kind of just stared at me. I just kept talking junk to him and he kept staring at me.
“At that point I realized during the rest of my career that I might as well not talk to him. Either, one, he is not going to talk back because he has no respect for me. Or, two, he is not going to talk back because that is who he is. Or, three, both. I figured then that was the last time I would talk junk to Tim. And that was the last time.”
The humble mystique of Tim Duncan shut Draymond Green up. It hardly qualifies as one of Duncan’s greatest career accomplishments, but an impressive feat nonetheless.
