Draymond Green learned to be a better veteran from his previous failures, like the Jordan Poole incident.
The Warriors superstar explained how he approaches interacting with younger Golden State players.
“I've always been a guy that no matter what, if someone's younger than me, I always want to pour into them,” Green told Penny Hardaway on the “Two Cents Podcast.” “And I will say I kind of got thrust into a vet role before I was ready to handle it before I knew what it took to handle it. And I failed miserably.
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“One of my biggest failures as a vet was what happened with Jordan Poole. It took me to go through that failure with Jordan Poole, who was someone that came in and chose his locker to be next to me because he wanted to learn from me. [He] was someone that I would spend time with and that I would pour into, and I [f---ed] it all up.”
Green infamously punched Poole in the face during a preseason practice in 2022, creating a tenuous situation that dragged on throughout the 2022-23 season.
Golden State eventually traded Poole to the Washington Wizards on July 6, 2023. The punch derailed the Warriors, which sticks with Green to this day.
“I haven't felt that miserable in my life,” Green said to Hardaway. “So, that was one of my biggest failures. It taught me a ton; it showed me how to be a better vet for Jonathan Kuminga, how to be a better vet for Moses Moody, but I had to go through that in order to learn.”
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Known for his intense and physical playing style, Green has gotten himself into plenty of altercations during his time in the NBA. As one of the pillars of Golden State’s dynastic run of four NBA Finals victories and six championship appearances over the last decade, the 34-year-old is a key veteran presence on a team struggling with consistency.
While the Warriors have shown flashes of brilliance at times, they currently are mired in a stretch of mediocre play. At 15-14, Golden State is on the fringe of playoff contention in the competitive Western Conference.
Green will need to continue mentoring the younger players on the team to give Golden State any chance of making the postseason.