Draymond Green denounces a double standard between Europeans and Americans

Never the last to come out hot takes, the big mouth of the Warriors Draymond Green has again released a statement that should speak. According to him, European players are not judged the same way as Americans when it comes to winning an NBA title.

It’s on the podcast The Volume with former Wizards star Gilbert Arenas that Draymond spoke on the subject. This is what he said after seeing a list ofESPN regarding which players are under the most pressure to win a champion ring.

.@Money23Green and Gilbert Arenas speak on European players not being held to the same standard as US players pic.twitter.com/Vav5uIUzg1

— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 2, 2023

“On the list I believe was James Harden number one, Chris Paul number 2, Jayson Tatum third, Joker [Nikola Jokic, ndlr.] in fourth place, and Luka (Doncic) wasn’t even on the list. I find that over the years, European players have been less criticized than Americans for not winning the NBA title. And I dont understand why.”

European stars less criticized than Americans for their inability to win a title?

Draymond, go tell that to Giannis Antetokounmpowho took criticism in the face before finally winning the ring in 2021. “You just have to build a wall to stop him in the Playoffs”, “He is too limited technically to face the best defences”, “He doesn’t have the shoulders to take a team to the end”… This is the kind of talk that has long surrounded the Freak. And what about the German Dirk Nowitzki, criticized or even mocked for years for his inability to take Dallas to the top despite his MVP status. It took a historic run in 2011 and a magnificent championship title against the Heat of LeBron James – Dwyane Wade – Chris Bosh to close all mouths.

Over the past 10-15 years, when we take the case of Dirk and Giannis who represent the elite as a franchise player from the Old Continent, Draymond’s statement does not hold true. Today, with the two biggest European stars (in addition to Giannis) who are Luka Doncic et Nikola Jokic, there may be something to discuss. But does Luka deserve more criticism when we see the level of his supporting cast and we know that he carried – at only 23 years old – the Mavs to the Conference Finals last year? Could the Joker – despite his double MVP status – really do more in the Playoffs with the injuries of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in the past two seasons?

“I feel like over the years, European players has not caught the same flak of winning a championship as US players.”

– Draymond Green

(Via @TheVolumeSports ) pic.twitter.com/yJtww8D1L4

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 2, 2023

Maybe the reasons why Doncic and Jokic are behind James Harden or Chris Paul in the ranking ofESPN are not linked to the fact that they are European, but rather to very specific situations. Harden and CP3 are respectively 33 and 37 years old, have some Playoff bowls on their CV, and are now in a favorable context to really play the title. The presence of Jayson Tatum in the Top 3 is debatable because we are talking about a player of only 24 years, but he remains on a failed NBA Final against the Warriors and evolves in one of the two most complete teams in the League.

In the end, it is therefore difficult to see the double standard mentioned by Draymond Green. There is no doubt that Luka Doncic and especially Nikola Jokic, whom some (hello Kendrick Perkins) accuse of doing stat-padding, will be entitled to their share of criticism if they continue to chain the seasons without going to the end. The proof, the big head ofESPN Stephen A. Smith – author of the classification quoted just above – has already prepared the ground for the Joker.