Could his declining play shape Warriors' attitude toward Draymond Green?

Lightning rod Draymond Green returned to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday after serving a five-game suspension, but the 12-year veteran has no intention of changing his aggressive game.

"The way I play basketball has brought me a tremendous amount of success, individually and from a team standpoint, so I will always be myself," Green told reporters Sunday, per ESPN's Kendra Andrews. 

On Nov. 15, the NBA suspended Green for five games for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold during a game. The length of the suspension was based, in part, on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts.

Per Andrews, the Warriors will likely continue to back Green "no matter what." The team "lost leverage on disciplining him after failing to hold him accountable" for punching Jordan Poole during a 2022 offseason practice.

This lack of discipline is due, in large part, to Green's importance to the team, especially defensively. However, the eight-time All-Defensive Team player has struggled this season, which might cause the Warriors to change their attitude toward the four-time All-Star.

Per Cleaning the Glass, the Warriors are +7.9 in points allowed per 100 possessions with Green on the court, a sharp decline from last season, when they were minus-9.8 in points allowed per 100 possessions with him playing.

Green’s 112.9 defensive rating is the lowest of any season of his career and is far off from his career average of 103.2, per Stamuse.

Every team has its tipping point when it comes to player misconduct, and no one has better tested this limit than Green. Previous misdeeds, such as his fight with then-teammate Kevin Durant in 2018 and punching Poole in 2022, were excused because he was a key contributor to winning basketball. 

If Green is no longer capable of producing at an elite level on the court, however, the Warriors' attitude may change.