Bob Myers and Steve Kerr made clear on Thursday they would rely on Stephen Curry's leadership in wake of the incident involving Draymond Green and Jordan Poole. The Golden State Warriors' franchise player subsequently expressed comfort shouldering that onus, insisting he would do all he can to ensure his team's quest for back-to-back titles wouldn't be derailed.

Curry, of course, was never going to bear the brunt of that responsibility alone. After leaked video of the altercation revealed the severity of Green's punch to his unsuspecting young teammate, marking an internet frenzy, a pair of Warriors veterans are reportedly working hard to keep their team from coming apart.

“I'm hearing that two players in particular are really working behind the scenes to kind of bring this team back together, and that's Andre Iguodala and—probably to the surprise of a lot of people—that's Kevon Looney,” Mark Spears of Andscape said on NBA Today. “Iguodala is 38 years old, he's been in the league, this will be his 19th season. He's basically the Udonis Haslem of this team…And then for Looney, keep in mind that Looney and Poole are both from Milwaukee. They are very, very close. I know Looney's a quiet guy, but when he talks people listen.”

The Warriors coaxed Iguodala out of retirement with exactly these type of fraught dynamics in mind, a reality mentioned by Myers and Kerr on Thursday.

He came to the defense of Poole on Wednesday evening when reports surfaced about the fourth-year guard's alleged “change in behavior” with the October 17th deadline for rookie-scale contract extensions looming, a tactic also employed by Myers, Kerr and Curry the following day. Iguodala also expressed support for Green on social media, calling his longtime teammate “family.”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Photo: Silhouette of Jordan Poole in Wizards jersey, Tommy Sheppard

Shervon Fakhimi ·

Chris Paul in a Spurs uniform on left. Victor Wembanyama on right.

Joey Mistretta ·

Chris Paul in normal clothes on left. Mavericks' Luka Doncic shooting a basketball on right.

Joey Mistretta ·

Looney isn't a founding member of Golden State's ongoing dynasty, but nevertheless entrenched himself as a Warriors fixture while playing the best basketball of his career en route to the Larry O'Brien Trophy last season. He signed a three-year, $22.5 million deal in free agency to remain with Golden State, emerging as part of Kerr's “foundational six” alongside Curry, Green, Poole, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.

No voice in the Warriors' locker room carries more weight than Curry's. Iguodala's might be second in that pecking order, and Looney's likely falls a bit lower. But Golden State, clearly, needs all hands on deck to get past the maelstrom of turmoil sparked by Green's act of violence.