The Golden State Warriors never really recovered from Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole in training camp to begin their title defense ahead of the 2022-2023 season. The first reports of Green punching Poole in practice happened in early Oct., with video surfacing a few days later. The incident seemed to hang over Golden State all year: the Warriors finished as the No. 6 seed in the West at 44-38, and eventually were upset in the second round of the NBA Playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Draymond Green can’t stop talking about punching Jordan Poole in the face
Draymond Green loves talking about punching Jordan Poole in the face.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The Warriors traded Poole and re-signed Green to a new contract at the start of this offseason. Poole is now a Washington Wizard, with long-time rival Chris Paul coming back to Golden State. Green re-upped on a four-year, $100 deal. Just about everyone has moved past the training camp punch ... except for Green.
Green appeared on Patrick Beverley’s podcast this week and again commented on why he punched Poole. Green said that lose his cool out of nowhere — the animosity between him and Poole had been building over time. Listen to Green’s comments here:
Here’s the quote from Green:
“I don’t just hit people. Dialogue of course happens over time, and you usually ain’t triggered by something that fast to that degree. You know what I’m saying? This is a team. Ain’t nobody on my team triggering me in an instant. We know stuff you don’t say amongst men. We know things you that you have to stand on.”
Poole’s dad responded on Twitter.
While Poole has never spoken publicly about the incident, Green can’t stop talking about it. He self-produced a 21-minute documentary called “The Countdown” which touched on the punch. This clip aired just days into the season, and felt like something that should have been handled in-house.
As Green’s latest comments were making the rounds on Wednesday, NBA fans seemed to agree they were getting tired of Draymond talking so much.
Green seems to prove in the NBA Playoffs every year that he’s still a high-impact player. He remains perhaps the smartest defender in the NBA, as well as a critical connective piece on offense even as his scoring ability as waned. Still, there are times when it feels like Green is more interested in boosting his media career than acting in the best interest of the Warriors.
Time is running out on Golden State’s championship era. With four rings on his finger, the legacy of Green is secure. It would just be nice to see him keep the focus on the upcoming season instead of storytelling.
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