Draymond Green and Jusuf Nurkic are known to have animosity between them since their altercation last season. But Green decided to add more fuel to the fire when the topic shifted to the Bosnian Beast in a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show.
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While hosting Baron Davis, Green shifted to discussing the altercation that took place between Nurkic, Naji Marshall, and PJ Washington during a contest between the Suns and Mavericks. The four-time champion looked visibly confused when trying to understand why Nurk went out of his way to start a fight. “I did not quite understand [why the fight started],” Green began, “and [Nurkic] just, out of nowhere, picked an argument and then swung. And I hope that brother got the help he needs.”
Green may have been saving that line for a special occasion, because his closing words were the exact words Nurkic used after Draymond clocked the Suns big man in the head back in December 2023. The former Defensive Player of the Year takes any opportunity he can to get in the head of his opponents, even off the court, it seems.
Green continued to drill into Nurkic, attempting to figure out the reasoning for the 30-year-old’s unexpected outburst. “It was just out of nowhere like something’s wrong in life,” the four-time All-Star continued. “Like, [Nurkic] must be going through a really hard time in life to just go back and swing like that.” Green even trolled his on-court rival by claiming Nurkic orchestrated the incident to avoid the Warriors next game.
Jusuf Nurkic has fallen out of favor with the Phoenix Suns
Nurkic’s tenure with the Phoenix Suns has been far from smooth sailing, and his violent display certainly didn’t help his case. After elbowing Daniel Gafford, leading to an offensive foul call, Naji Marshall was quick to take exception to the play. Eventually, Nurk and Marshall engaged in a heated on-court altercation, which resulted in ejections along with three and four-game suspensions, respectively.
It hasn’t gotten any easier for Jusuf Nurkic since his return from suspension, either. The veteran center was relegated to the bench unit after consistently subpar production as the team’s starting big man. His 8.6 points per game are the lowest since his second campaign in 2015-16, signaling that Nurk’s time as a capable starting center is behind him.
However, the 11-year veteran has gone on record stating that he doesn’t regret the incident with Dallas. Nurkic even revealed he’d do it again if he had to. He has responded surprisingly well to his punishment and subsequent demotion, which could mean Nurk adjusts more quickly than expected to his new role.
