Today, Draymond Green will play for the first time since choking Rudy Gobert. Today, Green will also play at the same venue where he stomped on Domantas Sabonis during a heated playoff game nearly seven months ago.
When the Golden State Warriors (8-9) play the Sacramento Kings (9-6) tonight (10 p.m. ET, TNT) at Golden 1 Center, the implications will go beyond whether the Warriors can advance out of Group Play in the In-Season tournament. It will also spark a question the Warriors have wrestled with during their championship runs and turbulent seasons.
After serving a five-game suspension for the Gobert chokehold, will Green finally clean up his act? That answer might determine the Warriors’ NBA championship hopes.
Those fortunes don’t just rest on Stephen Curry maintaining his MVP-level play, Klay Thompson snapping out of a shooting slump and Chris Paul continuously embracing his reserve role. It also hinges on Green’s valuable defensive intensity and offensive playmaking, two irreplaceable skills the Warriors lack if Green cannot avoid future suspensions.
How the Golden State Warriors have fared without Draymond Green since 2021
| 53 games | 25-28 record |
How the Warriors have managed the Draymond Green issue
To be clear, the Warriors and Green historically have been vindicated with this age-old debate surrounding how to manage his emotions properly. They have won four NBA titles in five Finals appearances because Green has mostly channeled his intensity for good. Even as he accumulated five suspensions and 18 ejections during his career, Green often showed that he operated in a gray world.
Yes, Green was suspended for a pivotal Game 5 loss in the 2016 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers after hitting LeBron James in the groin. But it’s understandable Green stood up after James stepped over him. Green was also only suspended because he exceeded the league’s flagrant foul points limit.
Yes, Green has barked too many times at the officials. But it’s understandable that Green has felt frustrated that officials have either given him too much freedom to vent or none at all to explain his disagreements.
Yes, Green served another suspension for Game 3 of the Warriors’ seven-game series against the Sacramento Kings last season. But it’s understandable Green stepped on Sabonis’ chest after Sabonis wrapped his hands around Green’s right foot as he struggled to run back on defense. Even with more restraint, the laws of gravity would not have prevented Green’s painful stomp.
Green committed his latest transgression, however, in a situation that was clearly black and white. Green did not need to drag Gobert halfway across the court in a chokehold. Gobert incorrectly pushed Thompson away following his scuffle with Jaden McDaniels instead of his own teammate.
If Green simply just wanted to defend Thompson, he could have separated the two of them without all the theatrics. Instead, Green put Gobert in a chokehold after the two spent years hurling direct and indirect insults at each other for their contrasting emotions and Defensive Player of the Year candidacies.
The Warriors need Draymond Green on the floor
Gobert called Green a “clown” for his behavior. Warriors coach Steve Kerr conceded Green’s actions were “inexcusable.” As for Green? He offered no regrets about choking Gobert when talking with reporters on Sunday for the first time since his ejection on Nov. 14. He questioned the NBA’s concession that it based its suspension partly on his past behavior. And he maintained that he was protecting Thompson.
“The consensus amongst all of us is that I’m going to be me no matter what. That’s not going to change,” Green told reporters. “But in saying that, there’s always a better way that something can be done. So it’s figuring out a better way. That’s the consensus among all of us.”
So, how will Green operate moving forward? Will Green compete with additional bitterness toward Gobert, the league office and any other opponent? Or will he maintain his competitive motor without crossing the clearly established red line?
Throughout his 12-year NBA career, Green has acted in a seemingly contradictory manner in adjusting his behavior. The bottom-line results will suggest Green has refused to ever learn from his past mistakes. Though he has often repeated similar mistakes, Green has made amends between them.
Green has shown mixed success with avoiding repeat technical and one-game suspensions for exceeding the league-imposed limit (16). Following his blowup with Kevin Durant four years ago, Green apologized and still co-existed with Durant just fine for the remainder of the season.
Though Green did not offer such contrition directly to Jordan Poole following last year’s training camp punch, Green still maintained his strong play despite a diminished leadership presence. The Warriors granted Green a four-year, $100 million extension last summer partly because they understood he has still mostly performed at a high level.
This season, though, the dynamic has changed. The Warriors don’t have the same top-heavy talent to absorb Green’s emotional outbursts as they did during the dynasty years. Aside from Kevon Looney, the Warriors don’t have consistent defenders to mitigate Green’s absence. Aside from Curry and Paul, the Warriors don’t have a dependable playmaker who can ensure the offense hums smoothly.
Thankfully for Green, he shouldn’t face an adjustment with just showing common sense. So long as he doesn’t put his opponent in a chokehold, Green should still feel free to compete with the fiery intensity he craves. Unfortunately for Green, he demonstrated that he can’t even restrain himself from that behavior. For better or for worse, Green will show whether he plans to maintain his stubbornness or show his capacity to evolve.
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.