Draymond Green took apparent swipe at Steve Kerr during U.S.’ near-loss to Serbia
Feb 23, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) before the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green was not giving his head coach a free pass during Thursday’s Olympic men’s basketball semifinal.
The heavily-favored United States team very nearly got upset by Serbia in the semifinal, trailing by as many as 17 at one point and entering the fourth quarter still down 13. But a late rally by Team USA (featuring some major heroics from Steph Curry) helped them avoid a shocker and earn the 95-91 victory. They will now face off against host nation France in the gold medal game on Saturday.
While Team USA was struggling though, the Golden State Warriors star Green, while live-posting about the game on X, seemed to issue a criticism of Steve Kerr. The former NBA Coach of the Year Kerr is the head coach of the U.S. team and is also Green’s longtime coach on the Warriors. That did not stop Green from speaking his mind though.
“Sometimes you have to scrap them rotations,” Green wrote on X.
Sometimes you have to scrap them rotations
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) August 8, 2024
Kerr’s gameplan on Thursday was indeed a lightning rod for criticism. Jayson Tatum ended up as a DNP against Serbia, even as Team USA was struggling to make shots in the middle quarters. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis (10 total minutes played), Bam Adebayo (nine minutes), and Derrick White (seven minutes) were afterthoughts in Kerr’s rotation despite Team USA bleeding defensively for most of the game.
While Green’s reputation does precede him, he said what was on many people’s minds as they were watching the United States completely slog through Thursday’s game. They will need a stronger and more cohesive gameplan to beat France for the gold medal, and it will have to start with Kerr, who has made curious decisions throughout Olympic play this year.