Draymond Green says he had to ‘go through’ punching Jordan Poole in order to be better vet

The Golden State Warriors found themselves wrapped up in drama before the 2022-23 NBA season began when veteran forward Draymond Green punched then-teammate Jordan Poole at a Warriors practice.

Predictably, there was lots of fallout from the punch that Poole, Green and the Warriors had to deal with. Now, years later, Green sees the situation as something he had to go through in order to learn how to be a better vet.

The punch was shocking for a number of reasons.

It came when the Warriors were the defending NBA champs, so one probably would’ve expected there to be a much lighter vibe around the team at that time. Moreover, Poole had just three seasons of NBA experience under his belt at the time of the punch while Green was already a veteran leader for the Warriors, so for many, it was stunning to see him go at his younger teammate.

Of course, it was also unexpected for footage of the altercation to leak, something that only made the situation messier.

Green took time away from the team following the punch, but he and Poole eventually had to work together as teammates in the 2022-23 campaign. The season ended up being nothing special for the Warriors, who made the playoffs but were eliminated in the second round.

Poole was then traded to the Washington Wizards in the 2023 offseason, where he remains today. Green, on the other hand, is still with the Warriors and looking to make the most out of his remaining years in the NBA.

The two players likely won’t be exchanging holiday cards anytime soon, but as the years pass, they’ll have no choice but to appreciate the fact that they were both key parts of a Warriors team that won the 2022 NBA Finals. It was Green’s fourth NBA title and Poole’s first. They’d both love to add to their ring collections moving forward.

The Warriors and Wizards have already played once this season and will face each other again in January to wrap up their meetings for the campaign.