Draymond Green’s latest suspension for crossing the line by punching the Phoenix Suns’ Jusif Nurkic has had a reverberating effect on the Golden State Warriors. With an important connector like Green missing games indefinitely, it’s fair to wonder whether the Steph Curry-era iteration of the team is truly done competing for championships.
But the elephant in the room remains Green, someone whom the Warriors have seemingly enabled over the years because he still helped more than hurt them. With that scale probably being tipped the wrong way for the first time, it seems even head coach Steve Kerr is done with the nonsense.
When asked to address Green’s indefinite suspension on Thursday, Kerr didn’t mince words. He effectively said Green has to be helped and that the person who choked Rudy Gobert and punched Jordan Poole needs to change.
I mean … phew:
Steve Kerr addressed Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension for the first time:
“It’s about more than basketball. It’s about helping Draymond … The one who choked Rudy (Gobert)… the one who punched Jordan (Poole) last year, that’s the guy who needs to change.” pic.twitter.com/KozrfwmhUF
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) December 15, 2023
Of course, these are just words. There needs to be substance to Kerr’s rhetoric in order to inspire and create legitimate change in Green’s on-court approach. We’ll see whether the Warriors coach stays true to his word.