Vincent Frank
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has not played since all the way back on Dec. 12. The four-time NBA champion was suspended indefinitely by the Association after a violent hit on Phoenix Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic.
While the NBA did reinstate Green from suspension back on Jan. 6, he had to work himself back into game shape.
Now that the Warriors are up against it amid some major struggles, Green will return to the court for their next game. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that Green will be on the court Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies for their MLK Day matchup.
The NBA and Warriors both mandated that Green go through counseling before he was reinstated. What we saw in December represented the second ugly incident involving Green this season. It was earlier in the 2023-24 campaign that he was suspended five games for putting Minnesota Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.
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For his part, Green has promised to change his on-court attitude.
“When I look back at these situations, it’s like, ‘Can I remove the antics?’ I am very confident I can remove the antics,” Draymond Green said. “And I am very confident if I do, no one is worried about how I play the game of basketball (or) how I carry myself in the game of basketball. It’s the antics. That’s the focus. It’s not changing who I am completely. You don’t change the spots on a leopard.
“I’m not going to set an unrealistic set of expectations. … Can I accept that my antics have been over the top? Of course. Can I remove them? Of course.”
Golden State posted a mere 8-8 record with Green sidelined to suspension. All said, the team is just 11-12 in games Green has not played in about halfway through the 2023-24 campaign.
The onus is now on Green to prove that he has changed his ways while providing the same energy we’ve seen throughout his career in Golden State.
