Getty Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors and Evan Turner #1 of the Portland Trail Blazers go for the ball.
Draymond Green created quite a bit of drama for the Golden State Warriors when he punched teammate Jordan Poole in the face during practice. The drama only escalated when a video that captured Green punching Poole in the face went viral.
Draymond’s punch on Jordan Poole
Many NBA players, both current and former, had a response of their own to the situation. That included former Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner, who played for the team from 2014 to 2016. Turner shouted out former Los Angeles Lakers guard and ex-teammate Lance Stephenson, who Turner played with briefly in 2014 on the Indiana Pacers.
@TheNBACentral @StephensonLance this how I should’ve done you
Turner is referencing when he and Stephenson reportedly got into a fistfight during their brief time as teammates in the playoffs back in 2014. Knowing Turner’s reputation for being a funny guy, he’s likely not calling out Stephenson out of any malicious intent. Considering how long it’s been since the two played together, Turner probably sees this as a humorous attempt to riff on the past.
That didn’t stop commenters from making jokes at Turner’s expense.
@thekidet @TheNBACentral @StephensonLance You should’ve just been good at basketball
Turner Has Friendly Interaction With Another Former Teammate
Evan Turner was not the only former Celtic who commented on the Draymond Green situation. Former Celtics MVP candidate Isaiah Thomas also gave his thoughts on the matter.
Turner, who was teammates with Thomas on the Celtics from 2015 to 2016, responded to Thomas’ thoughts on the matter with a joke.
@isaiahthomas Ima try him 3 days in a row and if I ain’t up 2-1 after 3 then ima head home
The two former teammates then reflected on how that would never have happened when they played together.
@thekidet Hahaha killa you know how we get done. Ain’t none of that happening lol. Damn killa
Even though it’s been years since the two of them shared the court as teammates, it’s clear that Turner and Thomas still share a rapport with each other after their time in Boston. Thomas has expressed interest in reuniting with the Celtics years after they traded him for Kyrie Irving, but they have yet to demonstrate that the feeling is mutual.
Turner, on the other hand, briefly returned to the Celtics as an assistant coach for the 2020-21 season but left after Brad Stevens was promoted from Head Coach to President of Basketball Operations.
Evan Fournier Believes Draymond Situation is Irreparable
Besides Turner and Thomas, Evan Fournier was another former Celtic who gave his thoughts on the matter. After the video was available for everyone to see, Fournier believes that there was no way Green and Poole can go back to being teammates after their altercation.
There is no way you can get back to being teammates after a punch like that.
Commenters have pointed out that teammates have gotten into fights in practice in the past, like when Michael Jordan infamously punched Steve Kerr in the face during their time with the Chicago Bulls. However, Fournier, who has played in the NBA since 2012 and played for four teams, said that while fights happen, he hasn’t seen anything like that before.
@KnicksClicksNYK Not that bad no
For the record, Fournier has gotten into spats with opponents throughout his NBA career.
Fournier has even had public arguments with his teammates during the games too.
Evidently, he has some idea of what it’s like to get into a scrap with another player – whether it’s someone he’s playing with or against – so he has some credibility when he says that he thinks Green’s situation in Golden State can’t be fixed.