However, the events of the weekend earned a lot of criticism. Fans of the NBA were completely dejected by how the All-Star weekend played out.

It wasn’t just the fans who were critical of the new format introduced this weekend. Trae Young also said that the new format wasn’t conducive to exciting basketball.

But perhaps no one was more critical of the new format than Draymond Green, who had his say after the event was over.

Read More: ‘I totally disagree’… Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Perkins split on LeBron James pulling out of NBA All-Star game

Draymond Green pans new NBA All-Star format

Speaking on TNT Sports, Draymond Green slammed the new All-Star format for devaluing the honor. He noted that Rising Stars shouldn’t be playing in the game, as it makes being All-Star mean less.

“You work all year to be an All-Star and you get to play up to 40 and then you’re done… Come on, what are we doing? This is ridiculous… A zero. Sucks. This ain’t basketball.”

Green does make a strong point. The Rising Stars game was usually a highlight of All-Star weekend as the NBA would create two teams of rookies and sophomores to face each other.

But putting them in front of the elite, incredibly talented All-Stars was a disservice to them, the stars, and the NBA audience as a whole.

Read More: Jalen Brunson shares aftermath of being part of Kenny’s Young Stars, ‘everyone looked at me…’

Kendrick Perkins responds to Draymond Green

One person, however, who had a lot to say about Draymond’s comments is Kendrick Perkins. Speaking on Get Up, Perkins asked Green to question why the new All-Star format was introduced.

He noted that the new format was created because the All-Star game had suffered in the last few years. That is because players not playing with the right amount of heart and effort, and taking the game for granted.

“It wasn’t a zero… At the end of the day, you gotta ask yourself; how did we get to this point? I also heard Draymond talk about how the court is a sacred place and you have to earn your place to be there.”

“Was it a sacred place three years ago to get us to this point? These guys have gotten us to this point by not putting forth the effort and playing hard. Thus making Adam Silver have to make adjustments…”

“Is there room for improvement? Absolutely, but… why do we have to change the format? That was because of the lack of energy and not taking the All-Star game serious, which comes down to the players.”

Kendrick Perkins makes some salient points. The NBA All-Star weekend has become something of a break for star players. We often see them putting forth no effort.

The strawman argument of defense is no longer valid. Defense was almost never played in All-Star games of the past. But the players still competed at a high level to try and win.