With only four games remaining in the regular season, the Golden State Warriors still languish in the last play-in spot, a far cry from their usual dominant form. Among the myriad of factors contributing to their struggles, one that stands out as particularly frustrating and avoidable is Draymond Green’s on-court antics. This season, he has been suspended twice, resulting in a total of 17 absences (plus four more to ramp up following the suspension), and ejected four times during the games. And as you can guess, his volatility and resultant long absences have weighed heavily on the Warriors, who are 11-14 without him this season.

In a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, Klay Thompson expressed his true feelings about his frequent ejections. “When you’re not out there, it’s like a piece of us is gone. And, me and Steph are really nice guys, like, probably too nice, you know? We could never be ourselves and have the freedom we do on the court without you. So, when you’re not out there, it’s kind of like a huge chink in our armor…”

He continued, “So, it does hurt. It could be disappointing in the moment, but it will never take away from what’s ahead of us and what we’ve done. So, at the end of the day, we just need you,” said Thompson. Some wise words from the shooting guard!

Green’s latest ejection came during a crucial matchup against the Orlando Magic on March 27. Within four minutes into the game, the Warriors’ defensive linchpin was seen making his way into the locker room after receiving two technical fouls and, hence, an automatic ejection for jawing with the game official Ray Acosta. Following Green’s departure, Stephen Curry was visibly frustrated, shaking his head disappointingly and fighting back tears.

Many saw this as a clear signal that Steph was finally wounded up dealing with Green’s antics. However, as per Klay, the head-shaking comes from a place of “man, we can’t do this without you.” 

The Draymond Green effect

The Warriors started the season positively, going 6-2. However, Draymond Green’s combo suspension dealt a harsh blow, sending them into a downward spiral with a 19-28 record. But as soon as he was back in the game, his impact was immediate. The team, which was three games under .500, 12th in the Western Conference standings, with a negative point differential and the league’s seventh-worst defense, did a complete 180, winning 25 of 39 games with the league’s No. 7 offense and No. 6 defense since Jan. 15. – the day Green came back from his second suspension.

Draymond Green’s presence immediately revitalized the team, shoring their defense and unlocking the Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins pairing. Earlier, in mid-January, this combination of the two athletic wings had produced brutal results, with the Warriors getting outscored by a staggering 106 points in their 171 shared minutes. However, since Green’s return, the Warriors lineups featuring that combination have outscored the opponents by 96 points in 468 minutes.

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Read More: What Happened To Draymond Green? 4x Champ Leaves Shorthanded Warriors Mid-game vs Jazz