The Draymond Green-Jordan Poole beef still appears not to be settled, since the pair went back-and-forth during the Warriors win over the Wizards on Monday.
But, that didn’t stop Dray from giving Poole his flowers when the dust settled.
“He’s playing better. He’s playing a lot better,” Green said. “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 that you can do. You want to show that you’re the guy.
“And I think last year he was pressing a lot, he just wanted it to happen so bad. And this year he’s a lot more settled in. He’s not taking some of the shots that he was taking last year. They were bad shots. I don’t think it was a matter of selfishness, I think it was a matter of wanting it so bad to prove to people that I can have my own team, I can come here and be successful, that it ends up working against you. But this year, he’s doing much better.”
Of course, Green was ultimately the reason Poole was traded away from Golden State, after his infamous punch became the catalyst to Poole enduring the worst season of his career.
During the game on Monday, Poole stirred things up between the two once more after he pointed to Green when hitting a three. Green later returned serve when Steph hit a buzzer-beating shot.
After hitting a three-pointer, Jordan Poole pointed at Draymond Green, who then reciprocated with a point at Poole just moments after Steph’s three.
It seems like the beef is still alive and well 😂
🎥 @SportsCenterpic.twitter.com/GAi615Ojvo
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) November 5, 2024
But still, Green wasn’t shy to further praise Poole after he finished with 24 points, a rebounds, 3 assists and a massive three steals and four blocks in 34 minutes of play.
“He had one turnover tonight. That speaks to the patience that he’s now playing with,” 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 after it like he was doing last year. But you’d much rather have a guy that’s going to chase after it and go for broke than a guy that comes in and is like, ‘Ah, I ain’t got it.’
“So I think he’s starting to show now more of who he is and what he’s grown into in this league as opposed to last year, he just wanted it so bad. I think he’s doing a lot better job this year.”