The Golden State Warriors host the Washington Wizards at Chase Center, hoping to improve their record to 6-1 while the Wizards look to reach .500 and stay afloat in the Eastern conference. Despite losing Klay Thompson in the offseason, the Warriors are looking like one of the best teams in basketball, ranking fourth in the NBA for offensive and defensive rating. Before halftime, Draymond Green rekindled some of their former animosity between Jordan Poole, as cameras caught Green pointing at his former teammate as Stephen Curry made a corner three.
Check out some angles of Green pointing at Poole in these videos shared by ClutchPoints and the user @terryworst on X, formerly Twitter.
Warriors past and present
However, Draymond Green had good cause to point at Jordan Poole after the Stephen Curry shot, since Poole had pointed at Green before shooting a three over his former teammate in an earlier play. You can see the Wizards guard pointing at Green in another video from ClutchPoints, shared on X.
Fans should expect this kind of jawing between the former teammates, especially after how Poole ended his tenure with the Warriors, who sent him to the Wizards last season.
During training camp prior to the 2022-2023 campaign, both players got in a physical altercation that resulted in Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole in the face. While the players didn't speak much about the fight afterward, it definitely ruined team chemistry beyond repair.
For instance, during the season, the NBA suspended Green indefinitely for striking the Phoenix Suns' Jusuf Nurkic in the face. The Warriors forward returned to action in time to help the team make it to the playoffs, where they eliminated the Sacramento Kings in seven games.
However, their chemistry issues came to the fore as Poole, the team's X-factor in their 2022 championship run, struggled heavily during their second round series against the Lakers, which reached its climax in Steve Kerr only playing Poole ten minutes in the classic Game 4.
Ultimately, the Lakers dispatched them in six games.
New faces, new places
Now, with Poole seemingly thriving as the main option on the Wizards and the Warriors sitting at third place in the Western Conference, both parties can now express themselves more freely on the basketball court. Both teams won't meet each other often, after all.
Moreover, it remains unclear whether the Wizards have a playoff roster, though the No. 2 overall draft pick Alex Sarr has shown flashes of good two-way play in his rookie year. They might need a year or two to develop into playoff contenders, if it happens.
Meanwhile, the Warriors look to gain every advantage they can get in order to return to the playoffs, where anything can happen. With the Western Conference seemingly wide-open this year, can Stephen Curry win ring number 5 and eclipse long-time rival LeBron James?
Follow Us
Subscribe
