Having Paid $1,450,076 in NBA Fines, Has Draymond Green Ever Been Ejected in a Season Opener?

NBA has many agitators. These agitators aim to talk trash or gesture to opposition players to lower their morale. Players of these sorts are the villains for the opposition’s fanbases too. But they seek that kind of reaction to pump themselves up. In fact, they are not afraid of getting into fans’ faces too. Perhaps the most notorious agitator in the post-2012 NBA is Draymond Green. His reputation has once hurt him. During the last playoffs, he was ejected for a flagrant foul type 2. Many believed and there is huge evidence for it that Green received excessive punishment just because of his reputation.

In this wake, has the defensive dynamo suffered an ejection during a season opener?

Draymond Green has a big history of ejections

For his career, he has paid fines worth $1,450,076. It is not surprising that his tally of fines goes beyond a million. He has piled up 163 technical fouls and 17 ejections! This number puts him second on the all-time ejections list. Dwight Howard also has 17 whereas Rasheed Wallace has the most with 29. Will Draymond ever catch up to that?

Many of these ejections have come during the playoffs. But some have come early in the season. Astoundingly, he collected his first three ejections within 15 months of his NBA career.

However, none of these ejections have come during the opening day of the season. But if it does come at some point, we wouldn’t be surprised. The notorious agitator is intense from the tip-off till the end. Historically, he has had a bunch of ejections in the early parts of the season.

But it is this very style of play that makes him a winning defender. He is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Plus, he has won one in 2017 and has made four all-defensive first teams. He has also made four all-defensive second teams, which proves that he is one of the best defenders in history. To win and show his affinity with the Warriors, he took what we can consider a pay cut to sign a four-year $100 million contract.

READ MORE: Declining $140 Million Warriors Extension as Per Reports, Where Should Klay Thompson Head in Free Agency?

But with injuries becoming commonplace, the journey has been rockier lately. How will he and the Warriors fare this season?

Draymond Green is huge for the Warriors

Without the 2017 DPOY, the Warriors cannot sustain any defensive momentum. He is the defensive captain and covers up the regular errors of his teammates. The Dubs need him when they talk about athletic and muscled maestros like LeBron James. He provides both incredible foot speed and also the strength to hold off sturdier players.

Apart from that, he is an incredible Point Forward. He handles and passes the ball better than the majority of Forwards. 

When the Warriors hit their hot streaks, he usually makes the big hustle play to swing the momentum. Will he win the DPOY this season? More importantly, will he win his fifth title?

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