Klay Thompson confronted Draymond Green about his tendency to get ejected from games for his behavior on Green’s podcast, emotionally discussing the positive impact of Green on him, Stephen Curry, and the team.
“When you’re not out there, it’s like a piece of us is gone. Me and Steph are really nice guys — probably too nice. We could never be ourselves and have the freedom that we have on the court, without you. When you’re not out there, it’s a huge kink in our armor and I know the other team is very happy you’re not out there. They relax a little bit. They pump their chest up a little more because our muscles gone, our enforced, the heartbeat of our team is not out there.”
Klay elaborated on Green’s importance to the Warriors, making it clear that the dynasty would not have been possible without Draymond on the court.
“It does hurt, but at the end of the day, we’ve been in so many battles, reached the mountain top, been down the mountain, had to climb back up, got there again, and now we have another shot at this… At the end of the day, we just need you. The disappointment comes from, ‘Dang, man, we can’t do this without you.’ We love you and we need you so badly, and these young guys need you, too. Steph and I, we’re leaders, but we don’t talk the game like you do, inspire these guys like you do. There’s gonna be a void, always, if you’re not out there and we’re not the Warriors without ‘Money Green.’ We would not be the Dubs without you.”
(Starts at 28:41)
Draymond doesn’t impact the Warriors by his box score numbers, as evidenced by his 8.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists average this season. However, the former Defensive Player of the Year is one of the highest-IQ players in the NBA and a crucial conduit in making the Warriors’ motion offense be successful with his passing pedigree.
Draymond can hurt the team with his antics, as his being ejected leads to Golden State losing their best defender, so it’s natural for Klay to feel the way that he does.
Draymond Green’s Last Ejection Was Controversial
Klay and Draymond discussed Green’s tendency to get ejected due to the public fallout from when he was ejected recently in a game against the Orlando Magic. Steph Curry was seen tearing up on the court when Green was tossed, a very emotional response that we hadn’t seen before.
When Steph spoke about it, he mentioned many of the same points that Klay just did in terms of highlighting Green’s importance to the team.
“All I say we need him. He knows that. We all know that. So whatever it takes to keep him on the floor, it’ll be available. That’s what got to happen, especially at this point in the year.”
The ejection led to Green being called out from a million different directions, from family members of NBA players to media experts. Green’s behavior has even brought into question whether Steph Curry is a good leader. All of this is unnecessary and forces Golden State to focus away from the court, something they wouldn’t want right now in the face of a tense battle to secure a playoff seed.
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