SAN FRANCISCO -- Draymond Green's indefinite NBA suspension, for him, was a blessing in disguise.
For the Warriors, of course, it was the exact opposite.
An insightful and humbled Green spoke to reporters on Tuesday at Chase Center for the first time since he struck Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face on Dec. 12 and subsequently was suspended by the NBA. Green spoke for 37 minutes about what he learned during his suspension and how he plans to apply it to his return to the court -- whenever that might be.
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One of his biggest takeaways was that the nature of his latest suspension, and it being open-ended without a specific return date, actually was beneficial for him as he did the self-reflection and work that was necessary to improve on and off the court.
"It's not necessarily a time thing, but when it is indefinite, you don't know what that means either," Green explained. "That could be ... who knows what, it's indefinite. Like I said, having the time allows you to process those thoughts. And I'm also appreciative to the league for the indefinite suspension. You know why? Because there was no goal to return. There was no, 'Alright, I'm going to work and get through these five games so as soon as the five games are up I'm back.'"
There was no sitting around and begrudgingly running out the clock like prior suspensions. The word "indefinite" can be rather ominous and carries a ton of weight. For the first time in his NBA career, Green didn't know what his immediate future held.
Golden State Warriors
Which presented him with a golden opportunity to take a step back and do the necessary work.
"A part of the 'indefinite' in returning is being in a better space," Green said. "To allow my mind to process what it looks like getting in a better space, I think you're then able to sit with those thoughts. But to sit for five games, I'm targeting a return date. There was no target until two days before it was announced to you all that the ban would be lifted. There was no target the entire time and I think when there is no target like that, it allowed me to process all things things, it allowed me to not have the stress and the plan of working toward a return. It allowed me to come to some realizations that I needed and wanted to come to."
Will Green be able to take what he learned during his suspension and use it to his benefit on the court as the fiery two-way star the Warriors so desperately need right now? Only time will tell.
For now, he will continue his ramp-up behind the scenes with the goal of one day, potentially soon, showing he can be the best version of himself and help the Warriors win games.