Jusuf Nurkic once defended Draymond Green against Zack Lowe’s criticism months before being punched

Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors star, seems to have a knack for hitting his opponents, and sometimes even his own teammates. Green gets angry easily which is his weakness as he can’t control his temper and unleashes his fury on others.

Green recently got suspended indefinitely for striking Phoenix Suns Center Jusuf Nurkic on his head. In addition to this he will also be fined. However, despite getting hit, Nurkic is seemingly not angry on Green.

Jusuf Nurkic defended Draymond Green against Zack Lowe

ESPN’s Zach Lowe in one of his columns about Green, dared to ask: “Was Green ever really a star in his own right, or was he the beneficiary of playing alongside the two greatest shooters ever”. (Lowe answered that question with a well-thought out analysis of the 6’6 forward.)

Due to his outrage at the disdain the four-time champion is receiving, centre Jusuf Nurkic of the Portland Trail Blazers decided to assist Draymond Green. “Just [dumb] 🤡 will say something like this. @Money23Green is Hall of Famer stop disrespecting that man!!” Nurkic wrote on his official Twitter account.

Understanding why Nurkic feels such a strong affinity for Green is straightforward. With their tenacious on-court conduct, both are defenders who never give their opponents any space to shoot, score, or pass, aiming to provide their team with an advantage. It was evident that Draymond Green was touched by Jusuf Nurkic’s kind remarks, as he responded to the 28-year-old’s praise.

Jusuf Nurkic still has respect for Draymond Green

Jusuf Nurkić, despite suffering a blow to the face on Tuesday night from the Warriors’ veteran forward Draymond Green, still has respect for him and doesn’t think any less of him.

“I have a lot of respect for him, obviously, even before this,” the Phoenix Suns center said before Wednesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets at Footprint Center (h/t Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin).

“I still have it. I don’t know what people go through. It’s not our problem, but he’s an NBA champion for me, Hall of Famer still. It’s kind of sad to see people going in a bad direction,” Nurkić also said. “I want him to succeed and still be the Draymond we all know. I have no bad feelings or any hate toward him.”

During a Golden State 119-116 loss to Phoenix in the third quarter, Green was called for a Flagrant 2 foul by the referees for swinging at Nurkić and hitting him across the face during an inbounds play. Following the match, Green insisted that he had no intention of hitting Nurkić. Instead, he thought the big man from the Suns was clutching his hip, and Green claimed he was only trying to sell a foul call. In addition, Green said he was sorry, to Nurkić.

What are your thoughts on Nurkic defending Draymond from criticism? Feel free to share with us in the comments below.