Draymond: Personal turmoil 'helped me a lot'

The summer was not great for Draymond Green.

After potentially costing the Golden State Warriors an NBA title because of his Game 5 suspension, Green was arrested following a July bar fight in Michigan, and later accidentally Snapchatted a penis photo to several million people.

With his focus back on basketball, Green said the turbulence was a good learning experience - especially his July 10 arrest for assault on former Michigan State football player Jermaine Edmondson.

"Was it crazy? Absolutely," Green said on The Vertical podcast with Adrian Wojnarowski. "Was I in the wrong? Yeah. Can't slap a guy. Were my reasons good? Absolutely. Does it matter? Hell no.

"It helped me a lot. Especially coming off those things that happened in the playoffs with me, to right after, boom, getting arrested."

Green later accepted a plea bargain and paid a $560 fine.

"Those situations helped me grow not only as a basketball player, but as a man. It was a good enough slap in the face to where some things happened to me that didn't completely take me out, but it showed me that I had to tighten up everything," he said.

The Game 5 suspension came after Green took a swipe below LeBron James' belt in Game 4 of The Finals - the last contest Golden State won in the series, as it proceeded to blow a 3-1 lead.

Regardless, Green said the disappointment was erased when the Warriors shocked the NBA by signing Kevin Durant.

"It ate away at me for a little while," Green said. "(But) there goes those feelings, we got Kevin Durant out of this deal? I'll be just fine. As a competitor it's always something you think about - 73 wins, 3-1 lead ... but I think the consolation prize was about as big as it could get for us."

While his encounter with LeBron was most notable due to timing, its far from the only time Green has been accused of playing dirty. In the previous series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, his knee connected with the undercarriage of Steven Adams. And this past Friday, another oddly high kick from Green captured attention.