Draymond Green never will shy away from offering his NBA mentees advice. Even after he helps hand them a brutal loss.
The veteran forward spoke to reporters after the Warriors' 134-125 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday at FedExForum and shared why he was "disappointed" in Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr., who fouled out after colliding with Golden State forward Jimmy Butler with 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Draymond waving at Jaren Jackson after he fouled out 😅 pic.twitter.com/b2huLwt6Vj
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 2, 2025
"I'm disappointed in Jaren," Green said. "I've got a lot of love for him, that's my Spartan dog. He's too good to still be getting in foul trouble. A couple of them fouls he picked up, he can stay away from those. It's time for him to take that next step in that department, because it was huge for us for him to get out of the game. And I'm happy he did, but I am a Jaren fan. I'm always rooting for him.
"To see him still getting some of those fouls he's picking up, he can't do that. His team needs him out there ... Jaren's got to figure that out, he's gotten too much better offensively and too hard to stop to be taking himself out of the game on the defensive side of the ball. That was disappointing, from the big brother in me. That was a little disappointing."
Jackson Jr. himself seems to agree.
Jaren Jackson Jr., who's avoided foul trouble most of the season, has been in major foul trouble in two of the last three games, including fouling out tonight:
"You just can't do it, I'm too important. I have to be out there. That's on me, I definitely let everybody down." pic.twitter.com/kRD9NOWc5B
— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) April 2, 2025
"You just can't do it, I'm too important," Jackson Jr. said postgame. "I have to be out there, and that's on me. I definitely let everybody down in terms of that and I'll own that.
Green and Jackson Jr. developed a friendship after the Warriors forward took the young big man under his wing when he was selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
And even through the Warriors benefited from Jackson Jr.'s absence in the final minutes of Tuesday's game, Green wishes the former Defensive Player of the Year had stayed out of foul trouble.
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