After the Golden State Warriors beat the New York Knicks on March 15, Draymond Green had some kind words for Karl-Anthony Towns. Yet, some of his comments came off a bit odd.
Green praised Towns, but his choice of words might seem off-putting to those who remember what the former recently said about the Knicks center.
Draymond Green Praises Karl-Anthony Towns for ‘Physical’ Play
Green singled out Towns for his strong performance against the Warriors while breaking down specifics.
“It’s good to see (Towns) show up and play like that,” Green told reporters, per New York Basketball’s X account. “He’s playing hard, playing well. It’s physical. Probably the most physical I’ve ever seen him. He had the extra motivation, so that made the game really fun. That was great.”
Draymond: "Good to see KAT show up & play like that…Probably most physical I've ever seen…Extra motivation…Saw his answer to y'all…fed into what everybody was saying…If it forces a guy to play hard…great. I ain't never seen him willing to talk…fun…He had really good game" pic.twitter.com/wagq4rjqMO
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 16, 2025
Green was likely referring to when he recently called out Towns on his podcast for missing the Knicks’ previous game against the Warriors. He had suggested that Towns had skipped that game to avoid facing former teammate Jimmy Butler.
Green acknowledged this while discussing Towns’ motivation for this game.
“I saw his answer to y’all. He fed into what everybody else was saying. It was a good, extra little motivation. I like battles, so if that forces a guy to play harder and play physical, great. I ain’t never seen him willing to talk, so I enjoyed that. That was good. That was really good. That was fun. Good for him. He had a really good game.”
Towns finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds in the Knicks’ loss to the Warriors, making him one of the game’s standouts. Whether that was fueled by Green’s comments is anybody’s guess.
There’s a fair argument that Towns came in extra motivated because he wants to help the Knicks secure the highest possible playoff seeding with the regular season winding down. New York currently holds the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and might aim for No. 2, though their chances took a hit with the Boston Celtics’ win over the Brooklyn Nets. But with Jalen Brunson sidelined, moving up seems even less likely.
Green’s words — though intended as praise — seem to suggest that he believes Towns was motivated by what he had said about him earlier.
Knowing the real reason Towns missed that game makes Green’s previous accusations seem unfair. Maybe Towns wanted to prove something against him, but Green’s earlier claims shouldn’t have much to do with what happens on the court.