Why I believe Draymond truly is ‘sorry’ for Poole punch originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The general response to Draymond Green’s latest apology for his spasm of violence during a Warriors practice 27 months ago has been a collective shrug. Too late, sir. Can’t undo the punch that wiped the smile from what was the happiest ship in the NBA.
When Green, the veteran leader, launched a fist to Jordan Poole’s face in October 2022, it spun the defending champions off their axis. And the team’s tepid management of the incident, which was shared on a leaked video, still raises eyebrows around the league.
The Warriors have not been the same – on or off the court. After countless conversations at several levels, the recovery has yet to materialize. They needed a nuclear game from Stephen Curry to avoid a first-round flameout in the 2023 playoffs, and one year later they were routed in the NBA Play-In Tournament opener.
Such futility sits like barbed wire in Draymond’s gut. He lives for success at the highest levels, and has put considerable blame upon himself, with good reason, for the formerly elite Warriors’ descent into the NBA’s middle class.
Green also knows three things that, given his lust for victory, are inescapable. First, that Poole was an integral part of Golden State’s 2022 championship team. Second, that his right fist led directly to Poole being traded. Third, that the Warriors would be a better squad if they still had the offensive gifts Poole took with him to the Washington Wizards.
Draymond’s apology came via social media late Saturday night, about five hours after he limped into the locker room with a left calf strain that took him out of the Warriors-Wizards game at Chase Center. This was about two-and-a-half hours after the Warriors’ 121-113 victory, after which Poole replied to a question about his feelings for his former team.
“I love those guys over there,” Poole said after roasting his former team for 38 points. “I love most of those guys over there.”
After seeing Poole’s comments posted on the X account of ESPN/Andscape NBA reporter Marc J. Spears, Green acknowledged he was the exclusion and felt compelled to reply from his own account: “I really am sorry.”
For what it’s worth, I believe Draymond is being sincere – mostly for the three reasons outlined above. And because, as he has admitted, his attack on a teammate nine years younger, whose locker cubicle was strategically next to his own, amounts to leadership failure.
The Warriors finished the 2021-22 season with a 53-29 record. Curry led the team in scoring, with Klay Thompson second and Poole third. They finished in the same order while marching through the postseason. Curry was 34 years old; Thompson was 32 and Poole was 22.
The Warriors were peeking into their future.
When Golden State selected Poole in the first round (28th overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft, general manager Bob Myers said one of the factors that led to the decision was Poole’s knack for producing in big moments during his two seasons at the University of Michigan. The Warriors anticipated big moments in many more seasons.
Poole’s work in the playoffs convinced the Warriors and many others around the NBA that he had All-Star potential. Four months after The Finals – and 10 days after he was punched by Green – Poole was signed to a four-year contract extension worth $128 million.
Poole’s offensive metrics declined noticeably. He averaged 20.4 points per game, but his field-goal percentage dropped from 44.8 percent to 43, with his 3-point shooting tumbling from 36.4 to 33.6. After leading the NBA in free-throw percentage at 92.5 in 2021-22, he fell to 87 percent. His 252 turnovers led the Warriors.
The most visible indication of Poole’s struggles came in the 2023 playoffs, when he shot 34.1 percent from the field, including 25.4 percent beyond the arc. He was so atrocious that coach Steve Kerr limited his minutes to 21.9 per game – down from 27.6 the previous postseason.
Eight weeks later, the Warriors traded Poole to the Wizards. A piece of their future was being sacrificed for the sake of the present. Or so it seemed.
But the move brought no fortune. The Warriors are 67-56 since the trade. They finished fifth in the five-team Pacific Division last season, with Green missing 27 games – 17 due to two NBA suspensions.
Golden State’s 21-20 record halfway through this season has it fourth in the division, and 11th in the Western Conference, as it takes the court Monday afternoon at Chase to face the defending champion Boston Celtics. Green’s calf strain will force him to miss his eighth game of the season.
Several factors beyond the Green-Poole incident have contributed to the struggles of the Warriors. But this is one was avoidable, and it’s an inglorious moment Draymond knows he must own.
Is he truly sorry? Oh, yes. I have no doubt.
