Over the last 5 games, Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has drawn a lot of attention for his balling potential. But before that, it was the verbal volley with Luka Doncic and the infamous presser that defined it. Amid the noise, questioning his actions, Draymond Green defended his teammate. Right when everyone thought the basketball world had moved past it…
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Charles Barkley has now sided with Eddie Johnson, questioning why Green did not step in and guide the rookie instead.
“I thought he (Green) should have shut the hell up,” Barkley said, appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio alongside Eddie Johnson. The two revisited the disagreement that began after Lendeborg’s comments about Luka Doncic.
Johnson recalled challenging the Warriors veteran over the rookie’s post-game remarks.
“I mean, talk junk between the lines. That’s fair game. But after the game, and you’re in your first game, and you’re on a press conference, and you’re going at a fraternity member for everybody to hear it, trash talking is just for the guys between the lines. It’s not at that level for a rookie to be doing that. And I challenged Draymond. I’m like, You a veteran, dude. Like, you need to, like, put him in his place. And he got mad at me and called me names. You know? “
Barkley then backed Johnson’s position:
“First of all, you 100% right, and you 100% right. But like I say, when you’re getting your ass kicked, you definitely better shut the hell up. Yeah, you know, we had that game. They were down 30. I’m like, wait, you calling out Luka, and y’all are down 30. This your first damn game. You’re down 30, and you’re worried about Luka talking trash to you? Like, come on, man, stop that. You are 100% right, and Draymond was wrong.“
The exchange traces back to October 21, when the Lakers overwhelmed the Warriors in the season opener.
Luka Doncic scored 28 points, while Lendeborg, making his NBA debut, was assigned to defend him and got caught up in a running exchange. Doncic struggled to shoot against the rookie, but capped the first half with a half-court buzzer-beater.
He then pointed toward the rookie. After the game, Lendeborg said he had “lost all respect” for the Lakers star, accusing him of flopping, foul-baiting, and constantly complaining to officials.
Johnson objected to the timing and setting of those remarks.
On X, he argued that a rookie who had just been part of a heavy defeat should not use a formal media session to publicly criticize an established star. Most importantly, he directed the responsibility to Draymond Green.
“Did Draymond take this kid in a room and pulled a Phil Jackson with some incense and hallucinatory babble. Rookie breaking down Luka like he been around for years! Be quiet and be a rookie and learn. This rant after one game is unreal!”
His point was not that Lendeborg had to avoid competing or talking back during the game. It was that the responsibility changes once the final buzzer goes off.
Green took the opposite view on The Draymond Green Show, questioning why a rookie should be expected to stay quiet and calling Johnson a “clown.”
Johnson responded on SiriusXM, arguing that Green, as a veteran, should have guided Lendeborg rather than attacking the criticism. He also took aim at Green’s career, saying he had “jumped on Steph’s back,” while bringing up Green’s 2022 practice altercation with Jordan Poole.
Basically, a dogfight.
That is where Barkley’s support gives Johnson’s argument another layer. Well, it isn’t surprising either. The NBA legend has gone after Green multiple times in the past.
The debate will follow the teams into their next meeting.
The Lakers take on the Warriors on Friday for the opening game of their NBA Cup group-stage schedule. It gives Lendeborg and Luka Doncic another chance to share the floor. The rookie has said he is looking forward to the rematch.
Whether the exchange stays between the lines, this time may determine how much longer the veterans have to discuss it.