A video of Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole in the face has recently gone viral on social media, and there’s no doubt that his doing so was unacceptable. Violence shouldn’t be condoned, especially when it is targeted toward one’s teammates.
A recent report by Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic revealed that a lot of members of the Golden State Warriors organization were unable to actually see Green hitting Poole during the incident, as most people were “focused on the scrimmage” going on. However, it seems as though after watching the video, many changed their view on the severity of the situation.
One of the tricky elements to the fallout of this situation is few people saw Green actually hit Poole. They know he hit him. They saw the two get separated and Poole getting off the ground. But most were focused on the scrimmage before hearing the commotion. Nothing suggested violence was about to happen, so they weren’t paying attention. And it happened so fast.
But on Friday morning, many watched the video and saw what happened for the first time, along with the rest of us. Multiple sources said their view of the situation is altered. Seeing Green walking up on Poole with obvious bad intentions. Seeing him respond to a baited shove from Poole with a ready swing. Seeing how much venom was behind the punch. That wasn’t the Draymond they knew. That was different than a chin-checking jab they presumed, the kind of measured punch you’d give your little brother.
Green’s actions weren’t justified by any words Poole uttered or the momentum of intensity. Sources on the team keep stressing that. What Green did was an intrusion on the vibe.
It definitely seems as though the team is clearly not happy with Draymond Green’s conduct. It remains to be seen what punishment they give to Draymond Green, but based on the severity of the punch, the repercussions should be serious as well.
The Altercation Wasn’t Jordan Poole’s Fault
There were some suggestions that part of the reason that Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole is due to his negative attitude in training camp, which built up tension. However, Steve Kerr has recently dismissed those reports, claiming that they are far “from the truth”.
“The only thing I will say is that Jordan has been fantastic throughout camp. There was a report that I was made aware of last night that someone put out there that Jordan had an attitude in camp. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Even if Jordan Poole’s attitude was negative, that doesn’t excuse the punch to the face from Draymond Green. It absolutely wasn’t his fault, and it is clear that the team understands that.
Hopefully, we see the team find a way to move past this situation. There’s no doubt that they are still a talented team that can win the championship, and hopefully, this incident doesn’t end up derailing their changes.
