Draymond Green has long been called the Warriors’ glue guy because he does the stuff that does not always show up on a box score. He organizes the defense, hands out the passes that make splash plays possible, and sets the emotional tone when games get chippy. Those things helped turn a shaky franchise into a dynasty, and they help explain why the Warriors signed him to a four-year, $100 million deal in June 2023 despite a rocky few years. A recent clip from a New York interview has put that role under a new kind of spotlight.

Green’s identity as the guy who holds things together is also something he has talked about himself in simpler terms. He has said that being that player means accepting that you may not get credit and still show up every night, because your energy is contagious and others follow it. That acceptance has been central to his value, and it is one of the reasons teammates like Stephen Curry and newer additions point to Green when they talk about what makes Golden State tick. Still, the public conversation about his behavior keeps returning to the same hard facts.

A video posted online captured a short moment that has become the latest talking point about Green and the locker room. During a September 11 interview in New York, the host asked, “Is Draymond Green the glue of the Warriors?” and the clip shows Stephen Curry smiling and pausing before replying, “I’m still trying to find the words to describe his influence.” The exchange went viral because it put a pause between a simple question and a simple answer, and that pause landed in the middle of a bigger narrative about leadership, edge, and accountability.

That bigger narrative includes a string of incidents and numbers that explain why Curry might hesitate to give a tidy label. Green piled up technical fouls through the 2024-25 season and by one count, had 13 technicals across 68 games. A pattern that continued a multi-year trend. He has been ejected and fined for on court actions, including a $50,000 fine for comments about officiating in May 2025, and his career fines and suspension related losses total near $1 million dollars in penalties and more than $3 million in lost pay. Those facts matter when leaders are supposed to steady a room.

This complexity creates a paradox that Steph Curry seems to be grappling with. Green’s value is undeniable; the Warriors’ defensive rating often plummets when he is off the court. Yet, his behavior can also be a source of tension, from his infamous 2022 practice altercation with Jordan Poole to his recent $50,000 fine for questioning officials’ integrity. The very passion that makes him a leader can also make him the team’s greatest liability at times, leaving even Curry searching for the right words. Next, we look closer at why the glue guy label does not always fit cleanly and what that says about leadership and accountability in a high pressure locker room.

The limits of the ‘Glue Guy’ label

Part of the ‘glue guy’ idea is that one unheralded player makes others better and accepts low personal glory. Draymond Green has spoken about that explicitly, saying, “Most importantly, you just understand that you’ll never get the credit, and being okay” with it, a line that sums up his view on self-sacrifice. On the court, his fingerprints show up in eye-opening team splits with him on the floor, and the Warriors have repeatedly performed better in many metrics when he is active. That blend of sacrifice and impact is exactly why the team keeps investing in him.

Still, those same traits can cut both ways because emotional intensity is easy to mismanage in a tight group. Following the incident with Jordan Poole, reports described an “icy” atmosphere with Green appearing isolated from the group, a clear example of how his actions can sometimes pull the team apart instead of uniting it. A dynamic he has since said he regrets and has worked to repair. His aggressive play has also led to ejections and moments that coaches and opponents called dangerous, all of which feed media narratives about temperament and trust inside the team. Those consequences complicate the simple glue guy story.

The financial and competitive costs are also very real. Green has accumulated nearly $1 million in fines and over $3 million in lost salary from suspensions throughout his career. These absences, especially in crucial playoff games, hurt the team on the court and create an unpredictable environment, challenging the very notion of a stabilizing “glue” presence.

Leadership in the Warriors’ locker room is no longer a one-voice arrangement, and that matters. Stephen Curry has grown into someone who will point teammates to the preferred play in critical moments, a development Green has publicly praised, and new additions like Jimmy Butler brought another demanding voice into practices and games. That layered leadership can help in some ways, yet it also raises friction when different styles collide, and Green’s profile is partly defined by how he reacts when he feels challenged or checked. Managing that mix has become a key job for the coaching staff.

So, where does that leave the team heading into another title push? The answer is a careful balance. The Warriors cannot easily replace Green’s defense and court vision, but they also need to limit self-inflicted absences and controversies that cost games or tarnish the locker room. Curry’s public stumble for words is a small moment that captures a larger truth The team gets energy and chaos in equal measure from Green and finding the line between those two outcomes will determine whether glue holds or cracks.