ESPN analyst Jay Williams asks fans to stop being Draymond Green apologists and question his decision-making & behavior instead
For what seems like the umpteenth time, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected from a game once again Tuesday. The Warriors were on the road against the Phoenix Suns when Green was called for a Flagrant 2 for swinging his arm and hitting Jusuf Nurkic. Unsurprisingly, the incident was thoroughly debated and discussed by analysts on Wednesday morning.
Former Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams took to Twitter to ask fans to stop being Draymond Green apologists and rather hold him accountable for his decision making and behavior. He wrote:
“Can we all please stop being a Draymond Green apologist. His actions speak for themself. No one is questioning his extraordinary IQ or basketball resume but we are questioning his decision making & behavior.”
Williams’ tweet was in response to a fan saying the former guard always wants the maximum suspension. Earlier today, JWill appeared on ESPN’s Get Up and said:
“You don’t see him remorseful at all. So, for me that calls 15 to 20 games.”
It's worth noting that Green was six games removed from returning from a five-game suspension after putting Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.
Draymond Green apologized in post-game press conference
The Warriors were leading 65-60 early in the third quarter when the incident happened. They went on to lose the game 119-116. After the game, Green spoke to the media about the incident:
"[Nurkic] was pulling my hip, and I was swinging away to sell the call and made contact with him."
Green then apologized to Jusuf Nurkic:
"As you know, I'm not one to apologize for things I meant to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf. I didn't intend to hit him. ... A replay is never gonna look good, but I know my intentions, and my intentions were to sell the call. I also don't think I'm an accurate enough puncher to do a full 360 and connect with someone. It's unfortunate."
The loss underscores Green’s importance to the Warriors’ championship aspirations. Coach Steve Kerr reiterated the same
"We need him. We need Draymond,” Kerr said. “But he knows that, we've talked to him. He's got to find a way to keep his poise and be out there for his teammates. … If we're gonna be a really good team, we need him."