The Draymond Conundrum

Dean Oliver provides insight on how Golden State should deal with Green's latest altercation and his potential suspension

Tuesday night, Draymond Green was ejected for a flagrant foul 2 after striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the head. Though Green labeled it accidental and apologized, it was his third ejection in Golden State’s first 23 games, and he is in danger of being suspended for the second time this season.

NBA analytics pioneer Dean Oliver has recently completed a book, to be published next year, on how analytics can help us understand the parts of the game that are more difficult to measure, including psychology, player development, and team fit.

(You can read more about Dean’s upcoming book here.)

Given Dean’s work on the emotional side of basketball and how it meshes with the math of the game, as well as his experience in NBA front offices, I reached out to him for a conversation about Green, the Warriors, and how he sees this latest outburst in the context of Golden State’s team and its season.

Draymond Green after his third ejection of the 2023-24 season. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Here’s our chat:

Royce: You've worked in the front office for multiple NBA teams, and most recently on the Washington Wizards' coaching staff. 

If you are in a front office, what discussions are you and your colleagues having today after seeing what Draymond did last night?