Draymond admits he lost his matchup against Randle in a series against the Wolves: "Julius was incredible"

Yahoo

20-05-2025

A couple of things that set Draymond Green apart from his peers in the NBA are his fearlessness and candor. Despite being undersized for a power forward at only 6'6", Dray has proven himself up to the task of defending and shutting down players bigger and, at times, faster than him. Best of all, Green isn't afraid to let everyone know about it, too.
So, not long after the Golden State Warriors' season ended at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, Dray didn't hesitate to admit that he failed to win his match-up against Wolves All-Star Julius Randle, who he said played "great basketball."
Julius was incredible
While Minnesota's precocious and brash guard Anthony Edwards was the focus of much attention, Randle's outstanding performances, especially in Games 2 to 5, largely went under the radar. However, all these weren't lost on the former Defensive Player of the Year, who had to contend with Julius in the five-game series.
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"I felt like I lost my matchup in that series. Like, Julius was incredible. And he played great basketball. And honestly, like, some of the shots he was taking was shots that you want him to take. And he made them. You know what I'm saying?"Green expressed on his podcast. "And like, he made the shots. Like, at the end of the day, the game oftentimes come down to shot-making. And he made the shots."
To say that the former Kentucky standout made shots is akin to saying the sun is hot. Randle was sizzling in that series,averaging 25.2 points on 53 percent shooting. He also chipped in with 6.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game, showcasing his versatility as a playmaker.
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A long history of defending Randle
Dray shared that he and Julius go way back; after all, the left-handed forward has played 11 seasons in the NBA. Green, though, recalled how the former Los Angeles Lakers draft pick made an impression on him when they first clashed on the court during a preseason game.
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Green said that Randle put on a move on him that he had never seen before. And for a defensive sentinel like Dray, who has seen it all, that speaks volumes about the offensive game of Julius.
"That was my first time ever playing against Ju. And at that time, Ju had this move where he come down, he got the ball in his right hand, he throw the ball to his right, his left hand, and he stutter step. And I had never really faced a guy like that yet in the league. He was young coming in, so I struggled guarding that move," Green remembered.
"So when we played them the next preseason game, I watched a ton of clips of that move. And I'm like, 'Oh, I know what I need to do to that move now.' And we played the next preseason game and I shut the move down," he added. "We've been kind of having these little battles since Ju came into the league. And obviously, this is the first one on a playoff level. But I got to give it to him, man. He got the better of me."
It takes a lot of courage to face off against the opposing team's best players on a nightly basis, which Dray does for the Dubs. At the same time, it also takes a bigger man to admit when someone has bested him on the court. That's exactly what Green did after the West semis, giving credit where it was due to his counterpart on the Timberwolves.
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