Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors had a 134-125 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday. The Warriors secured the win thanks to the game that his co-star, Stephen Curry, had. Curry finished the game with 52 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on 12-for-20 shooting from beyond the arc. Green also had his moment with a 13-point, 10-rebound and 12-assist triple-double.
During the final minutes of the game, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. had his sixth foul and had to leave the court while Golden State had a 123-122 lead. This gave the Warriors a bit of breathing room since JJJ is their defensive anchor. Ultimately, Jackson fouling out was a significant blow for Memphis as Green and his squad took off offensively.
With how the game ended, the Warriors improved to 44-31, which gave them the fifth spot in the Western Conference standings. However, Green expressed his disappointment over the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. His reason is mainly how Jackson handles himself on the floor and his tendency to commit a foul.
“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.
"It's time for him to take that next step."
Draymond Green explained why he was "disappointed" in Jaren Jackson Jr. last nighthttps://t.co/kKFsEFKGdy
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 2, 2025
Jackson is third in the league in personal fouls with 3.4. Since entering the NBA in 2018, the big man has not averaged less than three fouls a season. Other defensive stars like Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama, on the other hand, have been able to control their tendency to commit personal fouls.
The Golden State Warriors forward revealed his emotions every time Jackson committed a foul
For any player, getting their opponents to commit fouls is almost always a good thing. That’s exactly what Green felt whenever Jackson committed the six fouls he got defending the Golden State Warriors. After the game, he expressed his thoughts on JJJ’s fouls.
“Every foul he picked up, I was happy during the game,” he admitted. “But there’s a part of me thinking, ‘You can’t do that.’ When he picked up the fifth one, I literally walked to (Desmond) Bane on the bench and said, ‘Bane, that’s crazy. That’s ridiculous.’”
Draymond Green on Jaren Jackson Jr.: “He’s too good to still be getting in foul trouble. A couple of those he picked up, he can stay away from those. It’s time for him to take that next step in that department.” pic.twitter.com/lzRrXwEkVb
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 2, 2025
The Golden State Warriors won the season series against the Grizzlies 3-1 and look to keep their winning momentum ahead of the postseason.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
