Draymond Green has changed. Again. The Golden State Warriors forward got a brand new rehab piece on ESPN.com on Monday celebrating how much he's matured since he was suspended indefinitely for hitting Suns' center Jusuf Nurkic with a spinning backfist in December 2023.
Back then Green hit Nurkic about two weeks after he had returned from another suspension for choking Rudy Gobert. ESPN thought it was perfect timing for another rehab piece about how Green had learned how important it was for him to stay on the court. Via ESPN:
To his credit, Green has mostly stayed on the court this season. As ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk points out, he's only been ejected once this season and has barely been called for any flagrant fouls. And every time he hasn't been suspended, that's like passing a test. Via ESPN:
But this is a new Draymond. According one of Green's friends, he's a "nicer Draymond" and according to Green, things are "totally different" this season thanks to therapy and the accountability meetings that the NBA forced him to attend. In fact, they've been so helpful he refused to stop attending them even after the NBA said he didn't have to anymore.
Green seems to be having just as many minor incidents as ever this season, but that could just be annecdotal. Unless he does something that rises to the level that requires another suspension, there's no reason to believe he hasn't softened a bit. Otherwise, we may be in need of another image rehabilitation profile.