Green on the state of the NBA: It’s ‘boring’

OAKLAND, Calif. — Draymond Green had just spoken for a few minutes Saturday morning about the state of the game, about how he believes it’s officiated differently than it once was, how stars don’t get the benefit of being stars like they did in the past.

And then the four-time champion with the Golden State Warriors was asked a simple question: Does he think the NBA game is boring?

“Absolutely,” he said.

Such is the challenge that the NBA is trying to fend off right now, the notion that this era of higher-scoring games, more 3-pointers than ever before and a lack of rock-’em, sock-’em physicality like there was a couple generations ago is hurting the product.

On the one hand, the NBA is about to enter a new series of broadcast and streaming deals that will generate at least $76 billion, about three times more than the last deal — so interest still obviously exists. Player salaries are bigger than ever, the league keeps setting attendance record and merchandise keeps flying off shelves.

But the NBA keeps hearing the question about the on-court product. And Green is among those that think issues exist. He cited an interview he recently saw where the late Kobe Bryant, who died in 2020, called the game “accidental basketball.”

“It’s all penetrate and pitch,” Bryant said in that interview. “You may make the shot, you may not.”

Said Green: “He couldn’t have been more right.”

Green talked about a recent Golden State game against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, and how it was “refreshing” to go against a thinker like James — who is notorious for finding weaknesses and exploiting them.

“Every possession is some type of chess move,” Green said. “You don’t get that today in the NBA, often. … You don’t just get that on a regular basis. It’s just who can run faster, who can hit more 3s, it’s no substance. I think it’s very boring.”

And for a team like the Warriors — with proven champions like Green and Stephen Curry, along with a champion coach in Steve Kerr — the run-and-shoot-all-the-time game isn’t exactly the preferred game plan.

“You want to be one of the teams that aren’t playing an accidental game,” Green said. “That’s the challenge.”