Green and Holland exchanged some heated words on the court during the fourth quarter.

Image Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

During the Golden State Warriors’ 107-104 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, tensions flared between Draymond Green and rookie Ron Holland. The two exchanged some heated words on the court during the fourth quarter, but managed to avoid technical fouls. Green was quick to praise the officials for how they handled the situation.

“I thought the officials did a good job. They let it play all day,” Green said after the game. “They let guys talk, they didn’t break it up. Guys started talking again, and they let them play out some more. Beautiful. This game should be better. We’re playing this league now. They probably… you get turned into a robot. You don’t see any of that stuff, and then everyone says the ratings are down. Yeah, of course. No s**t”, Green said after the game.

Green, known for his fiery on-court personality, however, praised the Pistons’ rookie and claimed that the 19-year-old has few traits that can’t be taught.

“I got an opportunity to see him play quite a few times in high school. I saw him play when I was in Portland,” Green explained. “He plays hard, not afraid of anything. Obviously, you come into the NBA, you have to figure the game out, but he has traits that you can’t teach. He’s not afraid to mix it up with you, which I love. That moment we had on the court was amazing.”

“I love the young fella…He has some traits that you cannot teach.”

Draymond Green speaks on #Pistons rookie Ron Holland II pic.twitter.com/N34WekUfFK

— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) January 10, 2025

Ron Holland was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. He is averaging 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists this season.

For his part, Holland downplayed the heated exchange, saying there were no hard feelings between him and Green.

“He’s been watching me since high school. I was just telling him that he knows me,” Holland said. “I’ve been the same competitor since high school, and that doesn’t change. It was just one of those playing conversations. It was all love, peace, and happiness.”

The Pistons’ five-game winning streak came to an end with the loss to the Warriors. Buddy Hield led Golden State with 19 points, while Stephen Curry added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Draymond Green contributed 7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal in the win. Holland posted 11 points, one rebound, and an assist for Detroit.