A four-time NBA champion. Defensive player of the year. All-NBA. There is an obvious future in broadcasting. By all accounts, he is funny, with plenty of supporters in NBA locker rooms. His college team, Michigan State, retired his jersey. Draymond Green is a near-lock for the Hall of Fame. He is also just beginning a four-year $100 million contract. So please explain this to the class, Draymond.
🎥 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Draymond Green fight highlight reel pic.twitter.com/gyKwgLpfNC
— 🎧 (@risawrizz) December 14, 2023
Consequences
The latest incident sparking outrage involved an overhand swipe to the face of Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic.
The officials ejected Green, and the Warriors lost the game. So far, the career consequences for his actions have been as follows.
The public is calling for worse. Some want Draymond Green suspended for the whole season. Others would like Green out of the league entirely.
This Is Not Basketball
I don’t have to tell a future Hall of Famer that, but I will anyway. This is not basketball! Draymond Green has proven that he can maintain his composure on the basketball court. Green has two gold medals from stints with Team USA Basketball. The etiquette on Olympic basketball courts is way different, partly because the potential for international incidents increases. FIBA referees have quick whistles for unsportsmanlike conduct, which includes arguing or other behavior Draymond Green is renowned for. The Olympic committee would not have called him back if there was a problem the first time. If Draymond Green can spend two summers playing under tighter conditions, he could do that for his full-time job. Perhaps those summers were a façade. Maybe to be the best Draymond Green, he has to do what he does.
How To Be Yourself
We feel like we know who Draymond is. His actions dictate our thinking. However, Green earned all of his accolades by being unapologetically himself. It is possible that for him to continue being a successful playmaker in this league, he won’t be changing. So, where do we go from here? How does Draymond Green be himself and stay on the court for the Golden State Warriors?
I’m going to break and give an opinion here. The opinion is that Draymond Green is boisterous and spirited on the court because that is what the Warriors need. The Warriors players consist primarily of quiet stars who need the momentum shift Green gives them with his attitude and fiery play. Green maintains this persona because NBA referees have gotten accustomed to how he plays and have given him wider latitude to be himself. Outbursts are typical for him, so referees give him more leeway than any other player. This type of respect is what some would call intimidation. I would call it influence that can affect game momentum, opposing players, and even the crowd. It elevates his play on both ends of the court.
Ball Don’t Lie
Draymond Green affects the Golden State Warriors like Rasheed Wallace did the Detroit Pistons. The 2004 Pistons, who won the championship over Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers, were a good team before Rasheed Wallace joined them. Something about the way Wallace carried himself on the court provided the Pistons with the bravado they had been missing since the Bad Boy days. Rasheed Wallace is the blueprint for Draymond Green to carve out his court demeanor. It is still very Draymond but with more control of his extremities.
Draymond Green is currently serving an indefinite suspension while the NBA figures out the best way to move forward with him on the court. Meanwhile, the Warriors are three games under .500 and a man short for an indeterminate time. The ball don’t lie. The Warriors need Draymond Green to be themselves. We shall see what kind of Draymond Green they get when he returns. Hopefully, the Warriors do not get this one.
Photo Credit for featured cover image: Getty Images.
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