It’s been 11 years since Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green last suited up for the Michigan State Spartans. However, Green is still showing strong support for his alma matter as they compete for a National Championship.
Michigan State secured their spot in the Sweet Sixteen on Sunday, beating the No. 2 seeded Marquette Golden Eagles 69-60.
As the game wrapped up, Green took to social media to let a few former Golden Eagles, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Dwyane Wade, know that his Spartans are superior.
“There’s Mr. March,” Green exclaimed on his Instagram story, as he watched Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo shake hands with the Marquette team after his MSU’s win. “Tell ’em, Juan T (Toscano-Anderson), don’t cry. D-Wade, tell him man, don’t cry.”
Toscano-Anderson won a title with the Warriors last season. He signed a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers last summer, before being traded to the Utah Jazz.
Draymond Green’s Strong Message on Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga
While Green’s college team may be cruising, the same can’t be said for the Warriors, who have lost three straight.
Golden State’s most recent loss came at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, who coasted to a blowout 133-119 blowout victory.
Though the loss was disappointing, the performance from 20-year-old Dubs forward Jonathan Kuminga was not.
Kuminga led the team in scoring on Saturday, tallying 24 points in 30 minutes off the bench.
Green praised the young star when sitting down with reporters.
“I think his growth has been great,” Green said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “I think he’s right where you’d hope a guy would be at this point in his career. Continuing to grow and get better. Understanding more. Becoming more and more reliable. I think that’s all you can ask for. As far as confidence, you just got to stay the course. Everybody makes mistakes. It’s kind of a carryover. He bobbled the one on the fastbreak. Then he came down, and he bobbled it a couple of plays later. He was like, ‘F***.’ Like, who cares? [He was] playing great. Everyone bobbles the ball. I think, emotionally, that’s always a different hurdle to get over than necessarily play on a court. It usually takes you a little longer to grow emotionally than it does from a skill perspective. And so, you expect him to keep growing there, and I know he will, but you also can appreciate the competitiveness. A guy wanting to do everything right. You can’t knock that, but at the same time, like I told him, you can’t allow it to take you off your square.”
Warriors’ Stephen Curry Praises Jonathan Kuminga
Golden State’s star point guard, Stephen Curry, echoed the same message.
He praised the young star after the loss.
“The biggest thing is just competing on both ends of the floor,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Being decisive. Offensively, the way that they were defending us, he had good looks, and there was no second-guessing shots he was taking, which is great because you got to make them pay for the way they kind of shade on the rest of the side of the court. He has to be aggressive. So, when he’s out there, especially with certain lineups, he’s going to get those shots. You have to be assertive and decisive, and he did that really well. Especially early. [He] gave us a lot of life and energy. And then, the rest of it on defense, and just as energy. He’s just competing. No matter who he’s guarding, being within the structure of our defense, using his athleticism, and trying to do it without fouling, which is even more growth for him. So, to play as much as he did, he made an impact, and it was good for us.”