Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said that former Cleveland Cavaliers player Richard Jefferson offered him a particular brand of wisdom about technical fouls that changed his attitude toward them.
Joe Vardon of The Athletic looked at where the money collected by the NBA for fines goes, with Green noting how Jefferson’s philosophy on technical fouls gave him a different perspective that’s helped his career.
“I’ll never forget Richard Jefferson told me my rookie year — I was making, I was probably making $800,000, and in California you probably lose about 60 percent of that, and I would get frustrated with every tech, and I’ll never forget Richard Jefferson telling me, ‘Hey, don’t worry about those, you’re going to get a lot more techs in your career,’” Green said. “‘But, if you use it the right way, those techs will make you a lot more money (come contract time).’ And they have. So, since then, it’s not really something that I’m worried about, because in the grand scheme of things, it’s helped me.”
Green was the 35th player taken overall in the 2012 draft, which explains why his pay at the time paled in comparison to his current paycheck.
At the time Jefferson gave his advice to Green, the two players were teammates with the Warriors, and Jefferson had plenty of advice to impart based on his lengthy experience in the NBA
Of course, as all Cavs fans will remember, Green’s attitude toward technical fouls proved to be costly during the 2016 NBA Finals against the Cavaliers.
Green’s multiple technicals during that postseason got him suspended for Game 5, with the Warriors holding a commanding 3-1 lead. The Cavaliers took advantage of his absence to win that game and then capture the final two contests to win the NBA championship.
Despite the disastrous result stemming from that setback, Green has continued to play in much the same fashion and remains a standout player.
While the Warriors have slipped in recent years, they don’t appear inclined to change Green’s approach, given the benefits they’ve received from him over the years.
