The drama surrounding Draymond Green is sparking a lot of debate and mixed feelings among young athletes who look up to the Warriors star.
At the King’s Academy in Sunnyvale, the players there already know what Green did the other day is wrong and no one needs to tell them not to punch an opponent. But coaches do want to make sure Green’s intensity and attitude toward physical play is kept in the proper perspective.
“I’ve always admired his intensity and what he’s brought to the team. I felt like he’s always bonded the whole team and kept them together,” said Bryce Sherman, a power forward with the King’s Academy.
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“I’ve always admired, you know, the fire that he [Green] brings to the game. His competitiveness and especially, he’s sort of the backbone of the Warriors' defense,” said the King’s Academy wing Caedmon Dickson.
But coaches say while Green’s play may inspire players, his recent behavior provides a valuable reminder that there is a line and that poor choices have consequences and not just for you.
"I think that resonates with all people and I’ve seen it with young people,” said the King’s Academy Athletic Director Joe Maemone. “To know that if you make a poor choice and you have to suffer, the punishments and the consequences, how sad that makes those people who really love you. And the people you love. It impacts them and that is often incentive enough for young people to go: ‘I'm going to think twice.’”
For the players NBC Bay Area talked to on Thursday, it's a lesson understood. But they admit that's not easy in the heat of a game.
"There's a line that you can't cross," Sherman said. "There's multiple times when I'm playing, I get really mad and I want to hurt players. But I always have to remind myself to keep my cool and that's not who I am. I just let my game speak for itself."
Maemone also points out that while lessons can be learned and understood by high school athletes, it’s important they be conveyed to much younger athletes as well, who may pay more attention to Green’s success and fame than his punishments.
