Why Draymond partly blames Steph for his lack of foul calls

Steph Curry's lack of foul calls has been a hot topic recently, and Draymond Green believes the Warriors' star guard is partly to blame.

"I think Steph also gets punished for two things. One is he don't talk to the referees," Green said on a recent episode of "The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis." "They know they're not going to get cussed out, they know he's not going to say much. He may say something every now and then, but he don't say anything. And I think he actually gets penalized for that.

"I also think he gets penalized because he's not a flopper. He don't flop to sell calls, so it's almost as if he's not getting fouled or it don't matter because he's not showing that he's getting fouled. I think in this league, we reward flopping. it don't ultimately hurt him because he still does what he does, but it hurts him as far as getting the call and getting to the free-throw line because he don't flop and he don't sell the calls."

Still, Green continues to be blown away by the lack of whistle his teammate gets.

After Curry struggled in Golden State's 106-96 loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday, finishing with just three points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range with zero free-throw attempts in 33 minutes, Jimmy Butler shared that he was astounded by Curry's lack of foul calls after witnessing it up close since being traded to the Warriors in early February.

“I’ve never seen an individual get fouled more than he gets fouled," Butler said postgame. "To me, I think that’s astounding. But, you know, it’s crazy to say but he’s used to it. It’s been happening to him his whole career, and he’s found a way through it, around it, under it, whatever you want to call it – that’s tough.”

Green couldn't agree more with Butler.

"It's definitely true because I think they fear Steph just as much off the ball if not more than they do on the ball," Green said. "Off the ball is where he causes so much havoc. Jimmy, with the statement he made, is very true. He's always been held and grabbed off the ball because you don't want to get a step behind. So everybody just grabs and holds him.

"So Jimmy's [statement] is 1,000 percent true. Steph gets fouled more than anybody. It is often times off the ball because you know as soon as he takes off, if you're half a step off his body, it creates a domino effect because all he needs is half an inch to get the shot off and it's a great look. So he keeps moving and moving and they grab and hold him. It's definitely interesting, to say the least."

Davis also agreed with Butler and his co-host.

"He gets bumped, held, grabbed, pushed off his mark more than any shooter that I've ever seen in the league not get those fouls," Davis added.

Over 16 seasons, Curry averages just 4.3 free throws per game -- a notably astonishing dip compared to other stars around the league.

Curry recently explained how he's used to it by now, calling it his "reality."

"It's my reality. I've been in this situation for a long time," Curry told Warriors broadcasters Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike. "It's like a playoff game. You have to adjust to how the game's being called.

"You can have a reaction, but you don't want to let it distract you from what the task is. So I think trying to stay as even-keeled as possible -- that doesn't mean you're passive or giving into it -- you're kind of fighting through it and not looking to get bailed out even though you feel like it's not going your way."

Curry makes up for his lack of foul calls in other ways, though, and through 67 games this season is averaging 24.4 points on 44.7-percent shooting from the field and 39.6 percent from beyond the arc, with 4.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.1 minutes.

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