Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension an ‘opportunity for change’: Steve Kerr

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr agreed with the punishment the NBA handed Draymond Green on Wednesday for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the head.

Kerr discussed the punishment for the first time before Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Green had been handed an indefinite suspension for the incident earlier in the week with the league taking into account the Warriors forward’s prior offenses. 

Kerr told reporters that the “suspension makes sense.”

“To me this is about more than basketball, it’s about helping Draymond,” Kerr said. “I think it’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and make a change in his approach, in his life, and that’s not an easy thing to do. That’s not something you say ‘OK, we’ll do five games’ and then he’s gonna be fine. The league did five games after the incident with Rudy [Gobert}. That’s not the answer, to pick a number. 

“The answer is to help Draymond, give him the help he needs. Give him the opportunity to make a change that will not only help him, help our team, but help him for the rest of his life. This is not just about an outburst on the court. This is about his life. This is about someone who I believe in, someone who I have known for a decade, who I love for his loyalty, his committment, his passion, his love for his teammates, his friends, his family. Trying to help that guy.”