Draymond Green STARTS for Warriors after being fined for punching teammate Jordan Poole

Draymond Green started Friday night for the Warriors in his return to the team after punching teammate Jordan Poole and subsequently being fined by the organization.

Poole entered Friday’s preseason game off the bench in the first quarter to a big applause from the crowd.

Footage emerged last week of Green punching Poole during a practice, with the Warriors choosing to handle the incident internally.

Draymond Green was fined by the Warriors after punching teammate Jordan Poole

Though Poole was able to finish the practice and was apparently not hurt, Green connected with a right hand to the face of his teammate.

Steve Kerr said this week that Green was fined by the team, but he was not officially suspended by the organization despite spending some time away.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Warriors’ ring night, where Green and his teammates will receive their 2021-22 title rings before the first game of the season vs. the Lakers, had a ‘significant’ impact on the team’s choice not to suspend him.

But Green admitted Thursday that he was ‘not sure’ if he and the fourth-year player can ever become friends again.

‘As I said before, that’s not up to me,’ the four-time NBA champ said. ‘Nor do I think there’s much relevance. Quite frankly, we both know how to play basketball and that is the most important for us.

‘We’re paid to do a job and we’re gonna come and do that job to the best of our ability. We wanna continue to win so we gonna do what we have to do to win.’

In announcing last week that he would briefly step away from the team, Green called the leak of the punch video, which was obtained by TMZ, ‘bulls***’ but apologized to Poole.

Jordan Poole was not hurt after being punched and finished practice afterwards

‘Number one, I was wrong for my actions that took place on Wednesday, and for that I have apologized to my team, I have apologized to Jordan,’ he said. ‘I wanted to take that a step further with the event yesterday of the video leaking.

‘There is a huge embarrassment that comes from that, not just from myself as the one that committed the action, but the embarrassment that Jordan has to deal with, that the team has to deal with, but Jordan’s family.’

‘His mother and father saw that video. Quite frankly, I know if my mother had seen that video, what her reaction, her next step would be. So I apologize to his mother and father.’