It’s clearly August when the NBA world is debating the proper etiquette for pickup basketball games, but that’s exactly where we are in the NBA offseason.
Earlier this week, footage emerged from a pickup game between NBA players where Suns star Devin Booker got visibly upset over being double teamed. He claimed that he sees doubles all season and didn’t want to deal with passing out of doubles during an open gym.
It shouldn’t have been much of a big deal — maybe a one-day thing that NBA fans joke about. But, oh my, this has turned out to be a sensitive subject among NBA players.
First: Here is the highlight (NSFW language).
On Wednesday, Kevin Durant came to Booker’s defense and claimed that nobody should double-team in pickup games. Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green were evidently in favor of doubling. (More strong language)
Durant added that Booker knows how to handle double teams, so he had every right to be upset.
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young admitted that he would have reacted the same way as Booker.
When Gilbert Arenas criticized Booker on Instagram for his outburst, the Suns guard commented to explain exactly why he didn’t want to spend his day passing out of doubles.
Other players chimed in on the issue.
Can the season just start already?
