Unlikable Side Is Painful – Grant Williams Should Listen to His Mentor Turned Foe Draymond Green

The Golden State Warriors sent their home crowd at the Oracle Arena gleeful once again. They edged out the Charlotte Hornets in a low-scoring game. It was a peaceful contest. There was no history of bad blood between the sides or other complications throughout the game. With just ten seconds left, the game was coming to a close systematically. Ironically, that’s when all the hell would break lose, when the Warriors were celebrating and the Hornets were crushed.

Brandon Podziemski passed the ball to his teammate, Lester Quinones who attempted to lay the ball up. There’s an unwritten rule in basketball, if you are convincingly winning, you don’t try and score. However, Quinones only did so because they were against the shot clock, not as a display of disrespect to Charlotte.

The opposition though couldn’t piece it together. Miles Bridges took umbrage and shoved him twice. While they were bickering, Grant Williams, a man who had faced the Warriors in the NBA Finals before rushed up to the young Warriors player to confront him. It was overly aggressive.

As they were separated, he also got into with Draymond Green. They also did so during that 2022 Finals matchup. After the game, the former DPOY did not hold back against the former Mavericks forward.

Draymond Green has some advice for Grant Williams

Williams wasn’t always an instigator. While in Boston, he was an innocent forward who would only focus on hitting his threes to support the star tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Over the years, he developed the habit of being the player who does what they call the ‘dirty work’. He would test opponents, get chirpy, and engage in heated arguments.

The latest one can remember was when he challenged Jimmy Butler. It would ultimately be one of his worst mistakes as the Miami Heat, led by the man he tried to derail would edge them out in the playoffs. Gradually, it became somewhat of a reputation. He was viewed as a troubleseeker. We saw it again tonight.

After the game, Draymond Green, someone who Williams said he looked up to since 2015 and has tried to replicate gave him an unforgiving reality check.

“Grant Williams got to stop it, man. Being this tough guy is going completely wrong for him. Like he is a really nice guy. For some reason, he keeps trying to jump on the unlikeable side and I must tell you it’s not always fun over here. I don’t know man he needs to figure it out because boy, talking too much got you out of Dallas, like overdoing it. And he over there talking too much now. So might want to slow down,” Green advised Williams at the post-game press conference.

Green is a seasoned instigator in this league. He has always played with that burning passion. Challenging opponents, setting the tempo, and being somewhat of a guardian for the Warriors has always been his role. He was loved for it once. But it is mostly a part of him that’s criticized. Even he overdid it at the beginning of the season and had to pay with two suspensions.

Draymond Green knows the scrutiny and the characteristics one needs to be that aggressive guy. Since their encounter in the 2022 NBA Finals, he has tried to pave a path for Williams after he revealed he looked up to the defensive stalwart. He has tried to guide him since then.

“I think when you see that when you see a guy say, man, I grew up watching him, you appreciate it, because that’s why you work. You work to create a path for the next young guy. Like, my goal when I came in here was to create a path for Grant Williams. To hear him say that is an honor, so I don’t take that for granted one bit,” the Warriors forward told reporters after he and Williams exchanged words in Game 2 of that Finals series.

Dray is a man well aware of the consequences of being the outspoken guy on a team. He has paid numerous fines, faced the heat from players, and even served suspensions. It isn’t a role that’s easy, especially if you try and fit into such a mold without having the necessary traits. Draymond Green sees Grant Williams as a “nice guy”.

Grant Williams has a seizing opportunity with a team like the Charlotte Hornets. In five games he has averaged 17 points and is shooting nearly 40% from three, both of which are career-highs for him. He has fit well with the youthful group, who are still without LaMelo Ball, who is nursing an ankle injury. Williams has a chance to assert himself in a team that is looking for anchors for the future. Given the environment he is in, doing anything compromising will only hamper his path.

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Putting on the “tough guy” mask hasn’t suited him. His game has taken a hit. Grant Williams, as much as he might despise Green after tonight, needs to find wisdom in his words. Maybe it’s time to listen and transform his reputation.