Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green did not hold back when giving advice to aspiring professional basketball players on how to make it to the NBA and stay.
During a workout with Toronto Raptors development coach Rico Hines, Green also took the time to share some basketball wisdom with the campers. The Warriors forward basically had one simple message for everyone in attendance: they have to identify their roles and be great at it.
“At the end of the day, motherf**kers gotta play a role in the NBA. It’s 2 motherf**kers on the team that can do what the f**k they wanna do. And 13 other motherf**kers that gotta play a role,” Green said.
“So you’re going to either master your role or you’re going to get the f–k out. And it’s just that simple.”
Draymond Green is the best example of being a “star” in his role. Not everyone can be like Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson, but aspiring hoopers can be like Dray if they put in the work and have the right mindset.
The 32-year-old vet is in no way a great scorer. He isn’t even the biggest or best power forward or center, but he has thrived with the Warriors after identifying and embracing his role. He is the Dubs’ defensive anchor, and more than that, he is their vocal leader.
“At the end of the day, motherf**kers gotta play a role in the NBA. It’s 2 motherf**kers on the team that can do what the f**k they wanna do. And 13 other motherf**kers that gotta play a role.”
– Draymond Green 🗣🗣
(via @ricohinesbball, @Ballislife)
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) August 23, 2022
Green echoed Patrick Beverley’s sentiments during his workout with Rico Hines as well. The Utah Jazz guard noted that they have to learn to do the “little” things if they want to make their NBA dreams a reality.
“Everybody here ain’t Paul George or [Pascal] Siakam, you understand?” Beverly said recently. “The teams aren’t gonna go to you, y’all aren’t gonna be able to have the ball like that, so you gotta do the little sh*t. If a motherf*cker has a ball in an iso and you’re the cornerman just sitting there, you’re in the way. You have to cut, you gotta do something, you gotta be active. Defensively, everybody’s trotting back, but we’re not running back. How good do you wanna be?
“Find your role. Find your niche and your role. Find it. Find it. Everybody ain’t gonna be able to shoot hesi pulls. That’s just the reality of it. So find your niche and stay with it. Keep building off it, but find it first.”
Hopefully, those aspiring hoopers heed the advice of the two. After all, they have done it and walked that path.
