Klay Thompson Gave A Heartfelt Explanation To Draymond Green Why His Ejections Hurt The Warriors

After years of trying, Draymond Green finally got Klay Thompson to join him on the Draymond Green Show, where the two longtime teammates and friends got to swap stories and talk about the Warriors playoff push. They also couldn’t have the conversation without discussing Green’s absences from the team this year, with suspensions for choking Rudy Gobert and hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the face and most recently an ejection four minutes into an important game in Orlando.

That most recent ejection saw the usually stoic Stephen Curry get extremely emotional on the court, and after the game Curry explained that came from frustration with how vital Green’s presence on the floor is to the Warriors having a chance to win. Thompson echoed that on the podcast to Green, giving a heartfelt explanation of why Green getting ejected or suspended hurts the Warriors so much — seemingly trying to get Green to internalize his importance to the team.

“When you’re not out there, it’s like a piece of us is gone,” Klay says. “And, me and Steph are really nice guys. Probably too nice, you know. And we could never be ourselves and have the freedom we have on the court without you. So when you’re not out there, it’s like a huge kink in our armor, and I know the other team is very happy you’re not out there. I just know that for a fact. They relax a little bit. They let their hair down. They pump their chest up a little bit more. Our muscle’s gone, our enforcer, the heartbeat of the team is not out there. It does hurt, but the end of the day, we’ve been through so many battles, reached the mountain top, been down the mountain, had to climb back up, got there again. And now we have another real shot at this, and it’s been like a couple tough years, we’re still fighting, we’re still in the mix. It does hurt, it can be disappointing in the moment. But it will never take away from what’s ahead of us and what we’ve done. So at the end of the day, we just need you. That disappointment and that feeling of shaking your head just comes from, like, dang man we can’t do this without you. We love you and we need you so badly. And these young guys need you too. Cause Steph and I, we’re leaders, but we don’t talk the game like you do. We don’t inspire these young guys like you do. Even when Kenny calls on you in film, there’s gonna be a void there always when you’re not out there. And we’re not the Warriors without Money Green, and that’s just a fact. And you can ask anybody in the Bay, around the world who’s followed this team, we’d not be the W’s without you.”

It’s great candor from Klay, who explains that the disappointment comes from knowing they can’t be at their best without Green, and then proceeds to try and explain exactly why that is to Draymond. He points out that Green is the one that frees him and Steph up to be their best selves on the court, and also notes that Green’s form of leadership is vital to getting the most out of their youngsters as well. As Thompson notes, he and Steph are nice, maybe to a fault, and Green balances that out. It also feels as thought Klay is trying to point out that they’re maybe a bit too nice when it comes to brushing aside Green’s antics when he crosses the line, and this is Thompson’s attempt at making clear they can’t have that if they’re going to ever get back to the mountain top one more time.