Before the Golden State Warriors officially got their title defense underway last season, the campaign took a turn for the worst as veteran forward Draymond Green was caught on camera punching teammate Jordan Poole in the face during a practice session.
Somehow, the footage from practice of this altercation leaked to the public, and that caused quite a distraction from the then-defending NBA champions that they couldn’t bounce back from.
The relationship between Green and Poole was never mended, even though the team acted like it was publicly.
Ultimately, after getting knocked out of the NBA playoffs in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors decided it was time to make a move as they traded Poole to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul and signed Green to a long-term contract extension.
The team clearly valued what Green brought to the table more than what Poole did, and understandably so, but now the team has another chance to mend fences with Paul, who has been a rival of the Warriors for years.
Fortunately, it seems as though the relationship between Paul and his new teammates is going great, with the team winning and Green knowing he has to be a better leader, according to head coach Steve Kerr via 95.7 The Game.
Steve Kerr on Draymond’s chemistry comments: “Every season is different. For Draymond, last year was a tough year in a lot of ways, but he’ll be the first to admit that he created some of that himself. So I think this team has responded in a lot of ways to where we went wrong…
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) November 2, 2023
With four wins in the first five games of the season, the Warriors are off to a strong start to the 2023-24 campaign, as this squad is starting to turn heads around the league.
Even though the Warriors have a talented roster filled with savvy veterans, many have written them off, but that may have been premature, with Stephen Curry and company ready to make some noise in the Western Conference once again.
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Colin Cowherd Praises 1 Warriors Offseason Move