Warriors' Draymond Green sets stunning goal for himself

On “The Draymond Green Show With Baron Davis,” the Warriors forward declared that he’d finish the 2024-25 season with fewer than 10 technicals. That would be Green’s lowest total since his second season before he became a starter. He has 151 technicals for his career, with his opening-game technical moving him past Shaquille O’Neal for 16th place on the all-time “T” list.

But if he’s true to his word, Green won’t catch Reggie Miller (161) for 14th place this season. After what Green called an “awful year” in 2023-24, where Green was suspended for 17 games after altercations with Rudy Gobert and Jusuf Nurkic. While he was limited to 55 games, Green managed to rack up a baker’s dozen of technicals, including four ejections — three in the first 15 games.

The effort to change his ways didn’t begin auspiciously for Green, who got his first technical of the season before halftime of his first game. After getting whistled for a loose ball foul, Green relentlessly argued the call until he finally got T’d up minutes later.

To be fair, it was a terrible call, but NBA referees don’t change their calls due to impassioned arguments, especially when a player has already shot a free throw.

If Green truly has changed, it’s a big benefit to the Warriors. In the last three seasons, Golden State is 35-37 when Green doesn’t play. If you include the seven games where Green was ejected, it’s 36-43. With him playing a full game, they’re 143-103.

In a tight Western Conference where two or three wins can be the difference between hosting a playoff series and having to fight through the play-in games, having a reliable Green would be huge for the Warriors. If he can finish with single-digit technicals, the Warriors are a great bet to finish in the top six of the West.