The NBA’s favorite villain continues to wreak havoc on the league. His on-court presence is always noted, he’s the clear emotional leader of the NBA’s most talented team, and he’s arguably the most polarizing figure in basketball. His press conferences are quotable the majority of the time and his play style is equally notorious. Draymond Green has been a rising star in the league since he came in, and not always for the right reasons.
His latest moment in the spotlight has come to be through his excessive and unnatural kicking motions which have become more pervasive in his gameplay style over the last calendar year. Poor Steven Adams was a victim of multiple incidents last year. Marquese Chriss looks like he’s a candidate for a digitamputation due to one of Draymond’s infamous kicks. A quick Google search of “Draymond Green kicking” ignites a slew of videos of more incidents, opinions from all types of figures that fuel the basketball media infrastructure, and articles from journalists pushing for some sort of punishment for Draymond.
Now, I’m no endorser of this play style. As a recreational basketball player myself, I certainly would take issue with someone flailing their legs around, using their feet as a weapon, resulting in a hit below the belt or one of my fingers inflating to unrecognizable proportions. Yet, Draymond Green shouldn’t change. As dangerous as it may appear, it’s just another trait to attach to the character that is “The NBA Heel.”
It’s a staple in professional wrestling. The face and the heel give fans a home to allow their fandom to reside in. Part of being a sports fan is being unreasonably enthusiastic, and placing fandom in places for fairly shallow reasons. It’s an accepted trait of the sports fandom structure.
Someone like Draymond Green plays an important role in this structure. Every sports fan has players they hate. Draymond Green makes it very easy for us to identify the villain, thanks to his soundbites and his on-court presence. And he’s not the first to wear this significant hat.
Metta World Peace had a presence similar to Green for the majority of his career. Though he’s still active, he plays a much lesser role in the league than he used to. He played the igniting part in the brawl in Detroit between the Pacers and the Pistons in 2004, and he had a well-known incident against James Harden in 2012. He was a long-standing prevalent villain role in the NBA.
He’s not alone. Bruce Bowen was a dirty lockdown defender that generated negative attention from many fans, Matt Barnes (in his prime) was a trash-talking lockdown defender that attempted mind games on opponents (sometimes unsuccessfully), and the Bad Boy Pistons from the late 80’s still carry notoriety for their aggressive and physical play style.
Draymond Green shouldn’t change his play style because basketball fandom needs him to be that guy. As much criticism as he brings, he’s still a supreme defender and a consistent offensive player. He has some serious game. But he's more than just a very good player. He is the heir apparent to this heel role in the NBA.
