Draymond Green’s reputation earned him a flagrant foul

Draymond Green earned a flagrant foul for accidentally kicking James Harden. The call wasn’t deserved, but his reputation sealed the deal for him.

Draymond Green is the heartbeat of the Golden State Warriors. He is their engine that makes them go. He provides the energy and the soul for the league’s best team.

Green doesn’t know how to do anything other than go hard 100 percent of the time. He puts his body on the line every single possession, inviting physicality and contact. He hates to lose.

The All-Star forward is incredibly athletic. He’s transformed his body since coming into the league. He has good control, using his weight against bigger opponents. Well, he mostly has good control of his body.

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Green’s leg motions are pretty infamous. Ever since he caught Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams in the groin with a kick during the Western Conference Finals. HIs physicality became one of the biggest subjects of discussion during the playoffs as he racked up flagrant foul points until, ultimately, he was suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Now everything he does is under a microscope. During the Warriors’ loss to the Houston Rockets, there was some controversy involving the star. He was assessed a flagrant foul for seemingly accidentally kicking James Harden’s head after getting fouled.

If it was any other player in the entire Association, the refs would have taken one look at it and moved on. They might not have even looked at it. The contact looked incidental and not worth a second look, let alone a flagrant foul.

But Draymond Green now has a reputation. He’s the face of the Warriors’ “Super Villains” movement. He is everyone’s favorite player to hate. His reputation is what earned him that flagrant foul.

This is the reality that Green lives with. Narratives are so powerful in the NBA; once one is created, it sticks with you, no matter how false it is. For example, Russell Westbrook’s elite defense and Kobe Bryant’s unmatchable propensity to hit clutch shots are two pretty significant ones. Draymond Green being a dirty player is another.

Are his kicks reckless? Sure. They’re silly and he mostly flails his leg to sell contact and draw a foul.  He’s too smart and respectful of the game to be intentionally trying to hurt other players. He probably should cut down on it, especially since the league is keeping a closer on him than most. But he’s not trying to kick anyone.

He, clearly, embraces his reputation. He was tweeting out pictures of the “Bad Boy” Pistons and the movie Bad Boys. He even tweeted out that he knows that he’s a marked man in the league now. He gets it.

Draymond Green needs to be careful because the feds are watching. But that doesn’t mean he should change his game. He needs to continue to use his body to defend the rim and attack the paint. He can’t risk hurting himself trying to land any other way. It’s nearly impossible to land with both feet on the ground when you get hit at certain angles.

He didn’t deserve the flagrant foul that was given to him. But given his reputation, it’s understandable. Green does his best work when he’s being antagonized and his back is against the wall. Expect him to be even greater.