In Thursday night’s Warriors-Rockets double-overtime thriller, Draymond Green received a flagrant-1 late in the game for his patented leg-flail, or kick. Whatever you want to call it. This time around, Green’s foot made contact with James Harden’s face:
James Harden catches a Draymond foot to the face in double OT #DubNation #Rockets50pic.twitter.com/PapVpihvEB
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) December 2, 2016
Green will receive no further punishment, reports ESPN’s Chris Haynes:
Draymond Green not expected to receive any further discipline for flailing of foot that struck James Harden, league sources tell ESPN.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 2, 2016
Green has performed this kick countless times. Personally, I don’t believe that Green is alone in flailing out a leg in an attempt to draw a foul; it’s done by all kinds of players. Green’s kicks get more attention because 1) his flailing is clumsier than most (maybe a big vs. guard thing?) and 2) he now has a reputation for kicking players, so everybody is watching for it and assumes it’s purposeful. I don’t believe that Green is trying to hurt anybody, and he isn’t alone in flailing around to draw contact. That doesn’t mean he should keep doing it, though. Green needs to have some self-awareness, and realize that he is going to be more heavily punished for this than any other player. And the more he does it, the more officials will crack down on him for it.
