The Golden State Warriors will deal with the fallout of Draymond Green punching out Jordan Poole in practice for the entirety of the season. Right now, Green is away from the team while Poole is putting on a show at the Chase Center in preseason games.
The entire team is expected to be back together by the start of the season when the Warriors will begin their quest to retain their 2022 NBA Championship. That’ll be hard to do if the players don’t respect Draymond, the emotional leader of the team. Kevon Looney spoke about that and said Dray has to win back the trust of his teammates.
"He got some work to do to get that trust back from us, but I think he's willing to do it."
Kevon Looney on Draymond Greenpic.twitter.com/BkLw4J8VRC
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 10, 2022
“No, it’s been complicated. We have had a lot of things happen during my time here, but the things tend to stay in-house and we get to handle it like that. It’s a little different with it being out in the public. All the outside commotion weighing in on people and what they think. It’s difficult but we got the right leadership tog et through it. When adversity hits, this team usually responds well. This is the ultimate test for us and we’re going to get through it. Jordan is going to work and do what he do and Draymond, he is a veteran. He’s been the leader of this team for a reason and he got some work to do to get that trust back from us, but I think he’s willing to do it.”
Looney seemed disappointed at the situation the team was in but was confident they’ll bounce back from it. The 3-time champion will be looking forward to the Warriors trying to retain their title this season.
Will Draymond Green Be Accepted Back Into The Locker Room?
When punches are thrown and videos are leaked, it can be the death knell of a locker room. It’ll be very hard for Poole and Green to move on from this completely, especially if the contract situations of both players will hang over the team.
Looney called Green the leader of the team and leaders make mistakes sometimes. If Poole can forgive, the entire team will be likely to trust Green again. It’s time for his actions to do the talking so that he can prove to everyone that he is still someone that can be their leader.
Green and Stephen Curry will always have a strong relationship, but this is about the larger locker room, especially the young players who are slowly becoming threats to the leadership status quo that Draymond has dominated since 2015. The winds of change are blowing and Green needs to change his attitude accordingly to avoid being swept away and into a different team.
