Draymond hails Poole’s growth with Wizards despite provocative trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
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Even years after their violent altercation as Warriors teammates, Draymond Green and Jordan Poole still seem don’t be the best of friends in different teams on separate coasts.
But that didn’t stop Golden State’s veteran forward from praising the growth of the young guard in his second season with the Washington Wizards.
“He’s playing better. He’s playing a lot better,” Green told reporters after the game. Warriors win 125-112 against the Wizards on Monday at Capital One Arena. “I think his shot selection, you know, you come to a new situation – I’ve never done it – but I’ve watched a lot of it, as a competitor you just want to show everything you can do .You want to show that you are the guy.
“And I think last year he was pushing a lot, he wanted it to happen so bad. And this year he’s a lot more settled. He’s not making some of the shots he was taking last year. They were bad shots. I don’t think it was a question of selfishness, I think it was a question of wanting to prove to people so much that I can have my own team, that I can come here and be successful. that it ends up working against you. But this year, he’s doing a lot better.”
Poole, who was selected by Golden State in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, was traded to the Wizards during the 2023 offseason in exchange for veteran point guard Chris Paul in a blockbuster move that stunned the league – just one season after having his best NBA statistical campaign and two after undeniably helping Golden State win its fourth NBA title in eight years.
The shocking exchange also happened less than nine months after Green punched Poole during a Warriors closed practice, and video of the incident was leaked on social media.
Players and coaches admitted afterward that the chemistry was never the same throughout the 2022-23 season, as the then-defending champion Warriors fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
While Poole, Green and the Warriors appear to have moved on from the situation, Monday’s game could have shown otherwise. Poole and Green each taunted each other during the game, with Poole first pointing at Green after he knocked down a 3-pointer. Green then returned the favor and pointed the finger at his former teammate after a trio of halftime buzzer-beaters from Steph Curry.
Aside from all the antics, Green acknowledged the growth of the 25-year-old, who finished the game with 24 points on 8 of 20 shots, with one rebound, three assists, three steals, four blocks and one turnover in 34 minutes.
“He had a turnaround tonight. It speaks to the patience he’s playing with now,” Green said. “So I think he’s doing a really good job of settling in now and letting the game come to him, not necessarily chasing it like he did last year. But you’d much rather have a guy who is going to sue him and go bankrupt than a guy who comes in and says, “Ah, I didn’t understand.”
“So I think he’s starting to show more now who he is and what he’s become in this league, unlike last year, he wanted it so bad. I think he’s doing a much better job this year.”
While Green may not embrace Poole the way Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Curry and others do when they meet, his respect for Poole as a player is certainly there — deep, deep down.
