Draymond Green opens up about being in a ‘weird space’ during past 16-game suspension

Draymond Green just suffered his seventh technical foul of the campaign, but fortunately he didn’t cost his team the game against Milwaukee this Wednesday evening. The Warriors beat the mighty Bucks this time, but the player’s on-court antics have affected Golden State directly in the past. 

In a recent episode of the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, the player was very open about the infamous suspension that saw him miss at least 16 games at the start of the season. Not only did the Bay Area squad lose their best defender, his reputation was under scrutiny after punching Jusuf Nurkic in a November matchup against the Suns.

“It was a very weird space,” the four-time champion said. “It’s like, I need you all. So a part of me is like, yo, I need to be coming in every day. But on the other side of the fence, I really need to get so far away from this shit. It’s kind of this weird thing. And I think we found a balance.”

The power forward recalled how he interacted with his teammates during this time. “I was away, and I wasn’t talking basketball. You know what I’m saying? I wasn’t hitting them, talking. We just hitting each other, chopping it up. They hit me like, yo, what’s up? Man, how are you doing? We miss you, bro. Like, what’s going on? I’m talking to them, and we just talking.

“For what I am to this team, I’m the one in the group chat if I ain’t playing [saying], ‘like, yo, see this at halftime?’ I’m not doing none of that. I’m just away from it. A couple games, I’ll be honest, I ain’t even watch. I’m like, no, I’m not in it. I’m out of this. I’m not in it,” Draymond shared.

According to Green, he was extremely worried about how his suspension would affect his team negatively, but it ended up bringing him closer to his locker room. “But the relationship with them grew stronger,” he revealed. “Like, Steph called me or text me every day. Every day I was away…And so the relationships grew. Steve [Kerr] checking in.

“Mike Dunleavy calling me four or five times a week. Like, yo, what’s up? Just checking in. Not like, yo, how you doing? You working out? None of that. Like, yo, what’s up. What’s going on with you? How you doing? How you feeling? Great,” he recalled.

Former GM Bob Myers hilariously points out upside of Green’s technical foul trouble

Ex-Warriors GM Bob Myers returned to Chase Center this Wednesday and witnessed Draymond’s seventh technical foul of the competition. The former executive joked about Green’s history with the officials and said he’s grateful he doesn’t have to deal with it anymore.

“Well, the best news is if he gets kicked out after another technical, I don’t have to go talk to him,” Myers shared after the game.

Bob Myers hilariously points out upside of Draymond Green's technical foul trouble: "I don't have to go talk to him" https://t.co/ihac1NKKSo #NBA #Basketball

— Sports Worldwide (@Sportsworld0412) March 7, 2024

The four-time champion acknowledged Bob’s presence in the Bay Arena, as Golden State defeated Milwaukee with flying colors. Green praised his former boss and assured that he’ll always be remembered in this franchise.

“Your goal in life should always be to leave whatever it is that you’re leaving behind in a better place than it was when you got it. And, he far exceeded that. He left it in the best place it could possibly be,” the player said.