‘Some of those fouls just had to happen’: Draymond Green says ‘that will happen again’ in reaction to recent technical

During Monday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green was assessed a technical foul for tackling Suns center Khaman Maluach. Green was eventually ejected from the game after escalating the incident, sparking speculation about the veteran’s contribution to the team.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s First Take crew questioned Green’s contribution as he plays his 15th season with the team and hasn’t been as effective recently.

“Could Draymond end up being a detriment to the Warriors and their aspirations this season?” asked First Take host Shae Cornette.

“Hell yeah, listen, when was the last time we discussed Draymond Green and brought up him as far as his basketball and not fighting?” First Take analyst Kendrick Perkins said. “At some point, he has to deliver on the floor, and when you look at the start of this season, Draymond Green has been nonexistent. He has done absolutely nothing for the Golden State Warriors; to me, he has been a liability more than an asset.”

Green soon took to his self-titled show to address the incident, saying the foul on Maluach was something that “just had to happen.”

“Some of those fouls just had to happen. They just have to in order to command the respect that you must command in order to protect the rim. They just gotta happen. So, the one with Maluach, I’ll take that one; that’s gotta happen. I can’t fall down in the middle of the paint; you just finish, and I’m just still laying…that don’t work. Like respect gone, it just don’t work,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show, via NBA Central.

“So, with that being said, little tech for throwing ah…yeah, no problem; I’ll take that because that’s what… because the next time you try something like that, you gotta know that that comes with something else, like it don’t just end with, like, oh, you do that,” he continued. “So the next time you’re going to try something, you have to think about it. That’s all a part of protecting a rim, being an anchor of a defense; that’s all a part of it. So I want to help y’all understand that, and let you know, yeah, that will happen again.”

Green has been known as the bruising force for the Warriors throughout his career. But with the NBA’s new officiating direction, Green might not be able to get away with some of his tactics anymore.