The embrace was long and warm. After having defeated De’Aaron Fox and the Kings during a Game 7 at the Golden 1 Center, Draymond Green wanted to congratulate the leader of Sacramento for his first series of playoffs.
“I showed him my respect”, thus explained Draymond Green on this accolade. “I’ve been in a lot of playoff series against a lot of different guys. And to be honest, we leave most shows with less respect for a lot of guys. Whether it’s their behavior in the moment or how they deal with pressure. Over the years, I’ve lost a lot of respect for a lot of players in the playoffs. But there are also some for which we gain respect. You see them and you know they are made of the same stuff as you. And Fox is one of them. That’s why I paid tribute to him. The battle was tough. It’s obvious he didn’t end up on the right side. I’ve been there before. »
For the strong winger from the Bay, losses are part of learning, as he and the Warriors experienced when they lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2014, against the Clippers of Chris Paul.
“It is part (of the process). You have to go through it to get where you want to go”continued Draymond Green. “That’s why I just wanted to show him my love and respect, as a competitor. It was an honor to compete against him today”.
Draymond Green necessarily also salutes the work of Mike Brown, former right-hand man of Steve Kerr, who brought the Kings back to the playoffs after 16 years of scarcity. But it is above all the level displayed by De’Aaron Fox, who finished the series despite a broken index finger, which makes him confident for the future of Sacramento.
“De’Aaron Fox is the head of the snake from a players perspective”concluded Draymond Green. “He directs his guys. He’s a tough player, really tough. One of the future greats of this league. This isn’t the last time we see Fox. It’s not the last time we see the Kings. They are heading in the right direction and they should be given a lot of credit. I am honored to have participated in this series”.
| De’Aaron Fox | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2017-18 | BAG | 73 | 28 | 41.2 | 30.7 | 72.3 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 11.6 |
| 2018-19 | BAG | 81 | 31 | 45.8 | 37.1 | 72.7 | 0.5 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 7.3 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 17.3 |
| 2019-20 | BAG | 51 | 32 | 48.0 | 29.2 | 70.5 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 6.8 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 21.1 |
| 2020-21 | BAG | 58 | 35 | 47.7 | 32.2 | 71.9 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 7.2 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 25.2 |
| 2021-22 | BAG | 59 | 35 | 47.3 | 29.7 | 75.0 | 0.4 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 5.6 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 23.2 |
| 2022-23 | BAG | 73 | 33 | 51.2 | 32.4 | 78.0 | 0.6 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 6.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 25.0 |
| Total | 395 | 32 | 47.2 | 32.1 | 73.6 | 0.5 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 6.2 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 20.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
