"Last year he didn't say a word" - Draymond Green says he was surprised by Jordan Poole reigniting beef
On Monday, Jordan Poole and the Washington Wizards hosted Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors. During the game, Jordan Poole and Draymond Green exchanged words at several different points throughout regulation, which seemingly came as a surprise to the four-time NBA champ.
During the latest episode of the Draymond Green show, the future Hall of Famer told his co-host Baron Davis and special guest Fred Van Vleet that Poole's trash talk came out of nowhere. He explained that when the two teams faced off against one another last year, Poole had nothing to say.
Now, however, following their infamous altercation during Warriors' practice several years ago, it sounds like Poole had plenty to say.
"So the first time I catch the ball, Jordan's matched up on me. He overzealously is like [pushing me]. You know, I could feel that it was, like, more to the pushes, and so they called the foul, and I just tapped him on the chest like, hey, it's cool. As the game keep going on.
"You know how you can see a look in somebody eye. He's, like, talking to me, 'Yeah, weak ass n***a.' I ain't playing no mind. Because last year, he ain't say a word."
Poole led the way for Washington throughout the game, scoring 24 points on 8-20 from the field despite his struggles from downtown, where he shot just 2-10. In addition to leading the Wizards in scoring, Poole racked up three assists, three steals and four blocks in the Wizards' 125-112 loss.
"He's a lot more settled in" - Draymond Green gives honest take on Jordan Poole's growth from last season
Prior to Draymond Green and Jordan Poole's infamous altercation at practice, the two had a good relationship. While Green has been open about the fact that his actions ruined the friendship the two had, he was complimentary of Poole while discussing the Wizards standout on his podcast.
Although Green himself doesn't know what it's like to make the transition to playing for a new team, he's seen plenty of players go through adjustment phases with new teams. Now, however, he thinks that Poole is finding his rhythm and settling into his role with the Wizards.
“You know, you come to a new situation — I’ve never done it, but I’ve watched a lot of it — but as a competitor, you just want to show everything that you can do. You want to show that you’re the guy. 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.”
After seeing his offensive numbers drop last year after landing with the Washington Wizards, Poole's numbers have improved this season. In addition to going from a 17.4 points per game scorer to a 22.5ppg scorer, he's also averaging 2.8 steals per game, a career-high for the young standout.
At the same time, he's shooting a career-high 44.9% from the floor and a career-high 45.3% from downtown.