Before the 2022–23 NBA season started, Warriors teammates Draymond Green and Jordan Poole were involved in a preseason scuffle at training camp, and Green stated clearly that he felt the incident was one of the factors for the Warriors not making it back to the NBA Finals.
Green punched Poole during a preseason practice and the video of the incident was leaked on social media. The team and Green mutually agreed he should leave the team for a week before the start of the regular season, but the veteran returned and played his usual impact role for Golden State throughout the club’s up-and-down year.
Because of his time away from the team, Green told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Tuesday that him choosing not to speak his mind to the team and lead in the same way after the incident caused the Warriors to slip behind and not become a championship-caliber team this season.
