Draymond Green has been a part of more news headlines than he would have cared for to start the 2023-24 season. The Golden State Warriors player, currently serving an indefinite suspension after inadvertently making contact with Jusuf Nurkic on the court, is taking time to reflect on his actions through counselling. Recently, Metta World Peace, known to make headlines for the wrong reasons himself, appeared on the ‘Run it Back’ podcast and had some words of advice for Green.
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According to Metta World Peace, Draymond’s aggression comes from his relentless need to compete on the floor. However, with age catching up to the player, he is unable to translate that competitiveness into winning plays, which has led to him lashing out.
“I think Draymond is going through a little bit. Because you are not as good as you used to be, you are not as young as you used to be. But you’re still competitive. You gotta do a little give and take. So, I think he needs to take off the competitiveness a little bit.”
We all know that Draymond’s biggest strength is his willingness to compete. It is this quality that has cemented his place amongst the elite. However, it looks like his boon has become his bane.
Metta also highlighted that the four-time NBA champion has nothing left to prove and should focus his time mentoring the younger generations.
“His legacy is cemented already. There is nothing else for him to prove. He is a winner. He is going to be in the Hall of Fame. So, there is nothing to prove but to go there and have fun.”
Metta believes Green should focus on highlighting his good part and making friendships in the league instead of getting into situations that result in suspensions. It will be difficult for the Warriors’ forward to adapt his game based on Metta’s suggestions, as being competitive is the one aspect of his game that he takes the most pride in. However, there is a thin line that Draymond needs to be wary of, as he has been crossing it more often than not.
Since joining the league in 2012, Green has won 4x NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors. Moreover, the 33-year-old also has 4x All-Star appearances, NBA Defensive Player of the Year title and 8 All-defensive team titles. So, Metta is not all wrong with his take that Draymond’s legacy is cemented.
Once the counselling is over, the fans might see a different side of the Michigan State alumni. Draymond has a few more years left for the NBA, and no one with such a decorated career would want to finish their career being suspended.
Draymond Green’s suspension and possible return
Draymond Green has had a tumultuous start to the 2023-24 season and is already serving his second suspension in two months. He was suspended for five games by the NBA in November for choking Rudy Gobert on the court. A few games after returning from the suspension, he was given an indefinite suspension for making contact with Jusuf Nurkic above the head and neck area in a wild swing.
Though timelines for his return haven’t been made public yet, ESPN’s NBA Insider – Adrian Wojnarowski believes he could be nearing his return to the court. According to Woj, Green will miss close to 11-13 games and is likely to return somewhere between Jan 4th – Jan 7th. The player has also been asked to sit in virtual meetings to chart his progress.
For the Warriors’ fans, it will be interesting to see if Draymond will be ready to play as soon as his suspension ends, as there has been no news about his physical condition during the period.
