Draymond Green has often been vocal about absolutely everything. Draymond is always motivated. He is fired up. He lifts his teammates whenever they need a push. People call him the soul of the Golden State Warriors and they are quite true.

Despite his reputation of being a rough and physical player, he is of extreme importance to Steve Kerr’s set-up.

Speaking of physicality, Dray certainly used his ‘rough’ words and his unfiltered opinions to reply to the claims of some former NBA players. There has often been a narrative about the comparison of the physicality of the eras in the NBA.

Many people believe that the time before, say the 2000s, was far more physical than it is now. However, Draymond set the record straight with his reply in an interview.

“One thing that baffles me about the 80s or 90s or whatever you wanna call when basketball was so much more physical, is some of the guys they be talking were the guys punching people. They act like guys just walking around the court, and I’m hitting this guy, no.” said Green.

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“There were a few guys back then that would lay you out, that would knock you out, that would foul you and get thrown out the game. Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn. But everybody running around, acting like they weren’t that. Y’all were getting bullied. So it baffles me.”

Dray sounded off on former players, who played in the 80s or 90s, criticizing the modern NBA for the lack of physicality.

How much has the game of basketball changed?

Draymond specifically focused on the former players who say things like today’s players would not last in their time. Or they would be knocked out if they played in a more physical era. Dray used the example of Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn, two of the most physical players ever.

He said that he would have gotten knocked off but that was the same for all the other players as well. 

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The players who were physical and got fouled out did the same as players who played in that era too. So the point Dray was trying to make was that the players of the modern NBA would have surely suffered the physical blows.

But it would not have been any different than the players who suffered them back then. 

Nowadays, the game has changed where the referees and the NBA have been more aware of controlling the physical conduct. So it isn’t the same anymore. Draymond himself has been accused of being a physical player. He said that he would probably get fined about $1 million if he played like that.

Is Draymond Green right?

But it gives you something to think about. Is Dray actually right? It is true the NBA was much more physical in the 80s and 90s. The rules and fouling regulations have changed a lot over time. Now the game is more technical than before.

Nothing to take away from the teams and players of that time, basketball has been a game of technical ability more than anything else. And that just proves the point of having different environments for the players to grow and play basketball. 

WATCH THIS STORY: 5 times Draymond got ejected for rough play.

So comparing the players of different eras and thinking about whether he would have played that well in a different time is seemingly unfair. Players evolve and grow so it just leaves the discussion to chance and a matter of assumption.