It didn’t take long for soon-to-be Warriors forward JaMychal Green to make a lasting impressing on back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.
Just eight games, actually.
Green signed a deal in free agency with the Denver Nuggets ahead of the shortened 2020-21 season. He made his Nuggets debut on New Year’s Day in 2021, and eight games later -- funny enough, after a 114-104 Denver win over Golden State, Jokić was ready to give him a lifetime deal.
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SIGN UP HERE “JaMychal’s a guy that I’d like to play with him for the rest of my life,” Jokić said. “He’s amazing. His effort, his energy, his toughness.”
Green played well but didn’t exactly light up the box score in any of those eight contests. He averaged 11.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor in that stretch.
It was the on-court intangibles that Jokić loved about his teammate.
“You don’t want to play bad, you don’t want to be called [out for not putting in] effort when you are with him on the court because the guy’s amazing. He’s really aggressive. He’s attacking the ball. When he makes mistakes, I don’t have [anything] to say to him. He’s a great player.”
That same night, reporters told Green the praise that Jokić heaped on him after the game. It didn’t seem to surprise the veteran too much.
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“That’s just my style of play, my mental aspect of the game,” Green said. “Just how I come in. I know my role. I don’t try to get outside of myself and I’m going to play hard.”
Green's attitude appears to be a perfect fit for the Warriors' championship culture.
