Draymond Green says Joel Embiid called him out over recent comments

May 26, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half during game five of the 2022 western conference finals at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Draymond Green does a lot of talking, and some of that talking helped motivate an opponent this week.

Speaking after Friday’s matchup against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Golden State Warriors star Green said Embiid, who went off for 46 points on the evening, called him out after the final buzzer. Embiid was unhappy about some recent comments that Green had made about Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.

“He said, ‘You know why I played like that tonight? You said Joker was the hardest person to guard in the league. So I took that personal,'” Green said of Embiid. “So I wanna tell y’all Joel is the hardest person to guard.”

Here is the full video of Green speaking on Embiid.

Joel Embiid had 46 points against Warriors tonight.

Draymond Green: “He said, ‘You know why I played like that tonight? You said Joker was the hardest person to guard in the league. I took that personal.’” pic.twitter.com/Rd8a2eXTyo

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 25, 2023

Granted, Embiid’s motivation only took the 76ers so far. His 46 points were not enough to defeat the Warriors, who won on Friday 120-112 (though Philly was playing without ten-time All-Star James Harden).

As for the debate over who is the tougher cover between Jokic and Embiid, there is no one right answer. The former dominates with patience, precision, and the occasional display of brute force while the latter does so with power, crafitness (especially in drawing fouls), and guard-like footwork. But the two big men often now find themselves pitted against each other, especially in an MVP debate this year that has grown increasingly more toxic.