"Jokic's the LeBron of big men" - 3x NBA champ defends Karl-Anthony Towns after Draymond Green calls out his defensive effort on Nikola Jokic

Draymond Green is no stranger to hot takes and controversies and has stirred the pot once again, criticizing Karl-Anthony Towns for fronting Nikola Jokic all game, en route to the New York Knicks' win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. The former DPOY took to X to express his opinion shortly after the Knicks beat the Nuggets 122-112.

The Knicks, coached by Tom Thibodeau, chose to front Jokic and deny him the ball as much as possible and Karl-Anthony Towns was assigned the responsibility of being on Jokic to execute the plan. Jokic recorded only 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, a far cry from his regular season averages of 29.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.1 assists a game.

The plan worked, and the Knicks got the better of the Nuggets, but Draymond Green was not a fan of how they got the win and in particular, how Towns defended Jokic.

In his tweet, the Warriors forward stated that the result of the game didn't matter and that Towns could not hold the respect of his opponent owing to how he opted to defend the reigning MVP. Draymond Green added that Karl-Anthony Towns did not demonstrate a championship mindset with his strategy.

Three-time NBA champion, Danny Green and three-time 6MOTY Lou Williams reflected on Green's comments on FanDuel network's basketball show, Run it Back.

"We hear what Draymond's trying to say, and we understand as from a competition standpoint ... We want to see guys take that one-on-one," Green said. 'I'm sure this wasn't KAT's idea, this might have been Thibs' (Tom Thibodeau) idea and Thibs is a coach for a good reason. This guy is not no regular player. He is the LeBron of big men, going for his 4th MVP"

Green then reflected on how Draymond contradicted himself in his tweet:

"It's kind of contradictory in the tweet where its like if you want to win a championship, you got to do this. But, they won the game. He did what he was supposed to do, and this helped him win the game. So, ultimately this formula sounds like it would help them win a championship"

Draymond Green has had Nikola Jokic drop triple-doubles against him in their last two meetings

For all the defensive acumen that he has showcased over the years, Draymond Green's recent record against Nikola Jokic suggests that it may be time he swallows his pride and tries something different to contain the Nuggets' center.

Jokic has dropped triple-doubles against the Warriors the last two times the teams have faced up when the former DPOY has also been available, with the most recent game between Green and the Serbian ending with Jokic dropping 32 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists.

Nikola Jokic and Draymond Green facing off at the basket - Source: Getty

Maybe there is a need for Draymond Green to front Nikola Jokic and stop entry passes from getting to him. After all, the Knicks may only need to face the Nuggets if both teams make it to the NBA Finals, while the Warriors face the prospect of dealing with the 3-time MVP in the earlier rounds of the playoffs.