Klay Thompson opens up about Draymond Green's ejections

Klay Thompson recently joined Draymond Green on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show. On the pod, Dray asked Klay a question that probably every NBA fan has speculated about at one point this season. It's a question Draymond claims he would only ask one other Golden State Warrior teammate, Steph Curry. And most importantly, it's a question Draymond Green feared the answer to. 

"When I get ejected, or something of that nature, or suspended ... What do you feel? How do you feel? What are your thoughts?" Draymond asked Klay, encouraging him to be 'brutally honest', explaining, "It's going to crush me, but I need to hear it." 

At first, Klay shrugged. "It happens," he replied. As a fellow professional athlete and competitor, Klay clearly understands how high emotions can run. Klay explained how the NBA is very different than it was 20 years ago. "You know what Dray ... you're kinda a throwback player.", he said. Klay reflected on how back then physicality was a nightly thing in the NBA, but that now in the 2020s, "times have changed." 

Klay Thompson opens up to Draymond Green about ejections

Klay told Draymond, "I always know your intentions are good. You're one of the greatest winners in the history of basketball, at every level. So that trumps any statistical output you could ever have. Whatever triple double, whatever record, the one that means the most to me is that winning percentage."

While it's true that Draymond boasts one of the greatest winning percentages in NBA history, all of that means nothing if he's unable to take the floor. 

Klay revealed how Draymond's ejections affect the Warriors as a team, "When you're not out there, it's like a piece of us is gone." According to Klay, other teams play differently when Draymond is out, "They relax a lil' bit. They let their hair down. They pump their chest up a lil' more, because, you know, our muscle is gone, our enforcer, the heartbeat of our team is not out there." So, with Green out, not only do the Warriors suffer, but the opposing team gains confidence as well.

However, although Draymond's ejections and suspensions impact the team, it never takes away from what they've accomplished. "It does hurt." Klay said. "It can be disappointing in the moment, but it will never take away from what's ahead of us and what we've done." "At the end of the day, we just need you."

Without Green, the Warriors have an 11-14 record this season. With Draymond, the Dubs are 32-21. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to see the obvious correlation there. 

The Warriors count on Draymond for so many things on and off the floor, and Klay made sure to let Draymond know that. "We're not the Warriors without money green, that's just a fact. You can ask anybody in the bay, around the world who's followed this team — we would not be the Dubs without you. That's where that like, 'dang, not again' comes from. It's just like, man, it's hard to do it without you bro."

In reality, Klay's frustration with Draymond's ejections only highlight how crucial his role is to the team. Klay even said so himself, "Steph and I are leaders but we don't talk the game like you do, we don't inspire like you do. Even when Kenny calls on you in film, there's going to be a void there always if you're not out there."

Even though the regular season has had its ups and downs for the Dubs, Klay summed up the Warriors attitude simply saying, "We're still fighting, still in the mix." And he's absolutely right. The Warriors currently sit 10th in the Western Conference Standings and at the very least, they've secured a spot in the play-in tournament.

In the end, Klay and Dray chose the perfect moment for their heart-to-heart talk. Hopefully, Klay's message sticks with Draymond as the regular season ends and the fiercely competitive playoffs/play-in games begin.