In a recent interview, Draymond Green said his hated for Chris Paul was an “11 out of 10.” But a video of Green with the newest Golden State Warriors Hall of Famer showed that the two former enemies are already working out together – and it looks like Green might make more than three out of ten of his three-pointers this year.
Judging by the court, the two are playing ball at The DSTRKT, a gym in Chatsworth, California. But if you think it’s just a sports complex, think again. It’s a “vibrant hub dedicated to nurturing, empowering, and encouraging health-conscious individuals of all ages and skill levels.” That’s good because Chris Paul is old.
After the Warriors traded for Paul in June, Green and Paul only briefly touched base, essentially to let the dramatic change in circumstances sink in. As late as July, Green was on Patrick Beverley’s podcast talking about how he and Paul wouldn’t forget their bitter history just because they became teammates.
“To front and act like all of those things was fake,” Draymond told Beverley. “I’ve publicly said that I didn’t like Chris before! To act like that changed because he’s no my teammate? No!”
Green took a more complimentary tone in his recent interview, describing the frustrations of playing against Paul and why he didn’t like him, which sounded a lot like reasons why someone might not like Draymond.
“A guy that’s at the center of everything. At the center of every play, what the other team is running at the center of their defense, talking on both ends of the floor, working the referees, working our coach, working players in the middle of every tussle. Battling. Elbowing. Nasty… Of course you’re going to hate him. And if you don’t, guess what? You’ll lose to him. We’ve seen a bunch of guys lose to him as well.”
How’d they look? Green hit all three of his shots in the short clip we saw. Paul went 3-for-4, something that Green probably didn’t let go unnoticed. More signficantly, Paul was confidently practicing without a shirt on, so clearly he’s proud of his body. It’s reminiscent of the offseason when Paul went vegan to get in shape for the season – and for strpping down for ESPN’s Body Issue.
Regardless, it’s a good sign for the Warriors that their two most combatitive players are working out together well before training camp even starts. After all, as Draymond says, they’re both grown-ups. It’s not we’re talking about bringing in an aging former All-Star who loves fart jokes and eating candy, right?