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Draymond Green can’t figure out how to stay on the court this season.
He was ejected December 12 for the third time this season in just his 15th appearance. In the third quarter of the Golden State Warriors‘ 119-116 road loss to the Phoenix Suns, Green was kicked out for hitting Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the head with his right arm. After initially calling a personal foul on the floor, the officials reviewed the play and deemed the contact “unnecessary and excessive,” the criterion for a flagrant 2.
Green’s ejection rate of 20% this season would surely set a dubious NBA record. He has now been ejected from 19 games in his career, 10 shy of the all-time record set by Rasheed Wallace, who was ejected 29 times in 1,286 career regular-season and postseason games for an ejection rate of 2.25%. With 20 ejections in 930 career regular-season and postseason games, Green’s ejection rate is 2.04%.
It Might Get Worse
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Green will now await a review of the play from the league office, who will decide whether Green will be suspended for the second time this year.
Green’s first two suspensions came when he put Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock on November 15, resulting in a five-game suspension, and when he shoved Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell four days earlier, on November 11. Whether Tuesday’s action should have been called a flagrant 2 can be debated, but when a player has a history of this kind of act, referees will understandably be harsher on him when making their final decision.
A History of Controversy
Green has always been known for his on-court antics, and his fiery play style has been key in the Warriors sustained success over the past decade and endeared Green to Warriors fans while turning him into a villain to fans of other teams.
But now, in 2023-24, after his third ejection before Christmas, the patience of fans and Green’s fellow teammates is understandably running thin. Perhaps these antics could be excused if the Warriors were playing up to their potential, but Golden State has a losing record through 23 games. Green’s inability to stay on the court with his poor decision making is certainly not helping the morale in the Dubs locker room which expected to be a contender before the season started.
Green needs to rein in his temper going forward before this becomes an even bigger problem for a Warriors team searching for answers a quarter through the season.
Can’t Find Their Stride
The 2023-24 Warriors are not playing like the team fans have come to expect after years of greatness. Steph Curry is still a transcendent talent, but after a promising offseason that included adding Chris Paul to the roster, the Warriors have been nothing short of a disappointment thus far.
Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Green himself are all underperforming what they are capable of, all for different reasons. Sure, it’s a long season and the Warriors have plenty of time to find their stride like they have done in the past – but Green’s continued lack of discipline isn’t a great sign that things are trending in the right direction.
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