When the Golden State Warriors drafted Draymond Green in 2012, no one would’ve thought the two would become one of the longest running duos in the NBA and the closest friends outside of the lines. The then-3-year veteran was the quiet, baby-faced offense-minded point guard and the rookie was a loud all-in defender. But that’s exactly how they gave ‘opposites attract’ a new meaning. And Green agrees, “Not at all. We were just such polar opposites.” But over the years, through the thick and thin, the two have evolved, but some things have remained constants over the years.

For Green, it was the friendship and communication. In 2018, when he picked a verbal fight with the then-teammate Kevin Durant, Curry went to the Michigan native’s house to talk the entire thing out even if it meant Steph would miss his pre-game nap. For the power forward, it was the “Just to know I’m going to come sit here with you for two hours, and we’re going to talk through this, figure out what happens next. I’m going to tell you how I feel, you tell me how you feel, and we’ll go from there,” that won his trust. It certainly also defined their on-court chemistry.

Fast forward to today, Green is impressed on how Stephen has become a vocal leader in the locker room and on the hardwood, albeit a polite one. And the context is quite funny for this latest incident. After their 121-116 NBA play-in tournament victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, Green told the reporters, “When I shot that three in the corner, [Steph] very nicely told me it wasn’t time for me to shoot. He came over to me saying, ‘Hey man, we’ve got to get into a certain action we call that we like to run’ and I was like, ‘All right, no problem.’ Like, that was a very nice way of telling me, ‘Don’t shoot right now.’ No problem, I got him the ball the next play and he hits a three.”

Later, on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, the Warriors star recounted that moment. “I said in my press conference, ‘Steph, in a very nice way, told me not to shoot,’ Steph would never say ‘not shoot,’ but that’s how I wanted to hear what he was saying.”

You see, Draymond is not known for his long-range shots. And of course, when he took one from the corner in the late fourth quarter, he missed. A moment later, Steph came up to him and asked him to repeat the play but pass the ball to him instead. But the surprising thing is, Draymond revealed that this would never have happened in the past, amazed by the Baby Faced Assassin‘s on-court growth.

“It’s crazy because as you know, I’ve been playing with Stephen for 13 years and I feel like I’ve seen his growth as a basketball player because after year three and all the ankle injuries was really when Steph basketball career started. It’s really when his NBA career started. And  I was right here for that year where I felt like his career really started. So, to watch the growth from that point and for him to come and be like ‘Yo all right, so just boom boom we need..’ like, that’s the growth I’m most impressed by.

“Obviously the shot making… all of that stuff is incredible. But for me, I’ve seen it from the inside the entire time. That’s the growth for me where everybody is like ‘Man, Steph became this… who he’s become…’ But it’s that right there that I appreciate the most because that growth right there encompasses so many different areas of growth. It encompasses his voice. You know, like, he didn’t always have that voice right there. All these years. Like, that’s something that he grew into. You know?… Because I can remember those situations even seven years ago, five years ago. And he wouldn’t have said that. He wouldn’t have said nothing,” revealed Draymond Green.

According to Green, the version of Curry who calmly redirected a veteran teammate mid-game simply didn’t exist five or even seven years ago. The vocal command? Assertive in-game corrections? That took time. While his on-court brilliance has long been undeniable, it’s his emergence as a true floor general and culture-setter that’s propelled the Warriors through multiple eras of contention.

But not shooting isn’t exactly what Steph wanted from Draymond Green that night. No, Steph had a different play in mind. And in the same podcast episode, Green revealed exactly what happened after Steph told him not to shoot the ball.

Draymond Green reveals the conversation he had with Stephen Curry after missed 3-point attempt

Missing that corner three against the Grizzlies drove Draymond up a wall. He said, “It was one of the ones I wanted to get back,” as he revealed wanting to make things right. However, apart from asking Green not to shoot, Steph Curry had other ideas.

He wanted to repeat this exact play. The only difference? Steph wanted to be the one taking the shot this time around. “And pretty much what he was saying was, ‘I want you to get the ball in the same spot that you just got it. I don’t want you to take the shot. I want you to get me the ball so I could take the shot. And so I want you to get the ball right back where you were, but I wanna take the shot.’ It’s pretty much what he said in layman’s terms. And I was like, ‘Oh, say no more.’” This was how Draymond recalled the incident.

Well, guess what? That’s exactly what went down. Steph Curry got the ball from Draymond in the exact same position, and this time the ball went in for a 3. Apparently, the same play repeated with Jimmy Butler in Green’s place and the GSW got yet another deep three from Curry.

Just goes to show the incredible foresight of Steph Curry. Ultimately, that’s how time has changed Stephen Curry over the years. He’s gone from being the Dubs’ soft-spoken sharpshooter to one of their leading voices and a defining star in the NBA. But can these changes amount to a 5th ring for Steph? We’ll find out soon as the Warriors take on the Houston Rockets in the Playoffs.