Why Draymond Green’s Unusual Bench Exit Signals Something Much Worse

Plus, the Heat might be sellers at the trade deadline and Mitchell Robinson’s free throw work is paying off.

Warriors forward Draymond Green left the bench area after an argument with coach Steve Kerr during the game on Monday. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Editor’s note: This first appeared in the Open Floor newsletter, a free, twice-weekly publication straight to your inbox. Subscribe now.

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Greetings, from Los Angeles, where I’m gearing up for my first Christmas as a father. It’s a new experience that has raised some very important questions: Do I get my son a gift? There’s already a dozen presents under the tree with his name on them. What about my parents? Do I go online shopping or is handing them a smiling 3-week-old enough?

No pre-Christmas podcast, but Rachel Nichols and I will be back on Friday to review what should be a pretty good slate of NBA games. With the NFL’s Christmas schedule relatively lackluster—at least when it comes to meaningful games—there’s an opportunity for the NBA to claw back some of the ground it lost when Roger Goodell decided to encroach on Adam Silver’s favorite holiday. Subscribe to the pod here, here and here.

Let’s begin … 

A dark day for Draymond Green. On Monday, midway through the third quarter of Golden State’s win over Orlando, Green and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr got into a heated exchange during a timeout. The interaction—which was captured on video—ended with Green storming out of the huddle and back to the locker room. Kerr told reporters it was Green’s decision to leave the bench. When he returned, it was Kerr’s decision not to put him back in.

This was bad. Green’s volatility has been well chronicled; two days earlier he was ejected from a game against Phoenix after just eight minutes. But walking off the floor in the second half of a competitive game—Golden State trailed by five at the time of Green’s exit—is tantamount to quitting. The Warriors attempted to do damage control after the game; Brandin Podziemski praised Green for his communication on the bench in the fourth quarter while Kerr said he thought Green “played great.” Green attempted to downplay the incident. “We play basketball. It’s an emotional game,” said Green. “S--- happens. We move forward.”

Is it that easy? The Warriors were lucky to come away with a win, perhaps mitigating Green’s actions. And Green has four championship rings worth of equity in Golden State. Still, walking out on your team is a cardinal sin. At .500 and clinging to a play-in spot, the Warriors don’t have much margin for error. That locker room has weathered a few Green-caused storms over the years. This may be another.  

Some tough decisions may be ahead in Miami. After a hot start the Heat have dropped seven of their last eight. Their unconventional offense has bottomed out during that stretch (28th in efficiency) while its defense (17th) isn’t much better. The skid has rival executives wondering if Miami will approach the February trade deadline as sellers. The Heat have some appealing wings in Andrew Wiggins (who can be a free agent next summer) and Norman Powell (who will be a free agent). There’s also Terry Rozier’s $26.6 million expiring contract—if the NBA clears the team to trade it while Rozier is under federal indictment.

Who the Heat are not looking to deal is Kel’el Ware, their rapidly developing second-year center. The numbers for Ware are strong: 12.5 points, 10.7 rebounds on 56% shooting. But the real eye-catching stat is the three-point shooting. Ware is connecting on 48% of his threes this season, up from 31.5% last season. The volume is low—2.6 attempts per game—but Ware’s form is clean and his confidence is growing by the game. Consider: Ware is 11 of 14 from deep over the last two games. Miami made Ware off limits last offseason. There’s no reason to believe the Heat will change that stance during this one.

Speaking of surprising numbers … have you seen Mitchell Robinson’s free throw shooting lately? After going 7-for-8 from the line in a loss to Philadelphia last Friday, Robinson went 3-for-3 in a win over the Heat on Sunday. Robinson has worked closely with Knicks shooting coach Peter Patton, with Mike Brown hinting that Robinson’s improvement has come from him finally buying in to some of the changes, which include tweaking his elbow position and getting the ball higher above his head. Said Robinson, “I feel way more comfortable.”

Is it sustainable? New York hopes so. Robinson is among the league’s top offensive rebounders and rim protectors, playing a tidy 18.2 minutes per game. His status as a complete liability at the free throw line—he’s shooting 42.1% this season, which would be a career-low—often keeps him off the floor in crunch time minutes, when Hack-a-Mitch becomes a useful strategy. If Robinson can be even reasonably consistent—65% to 70% ought to do it—it’s a game-changer for the Knicks. 

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