In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, Draymond Green and ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith discuss NBA playoff scenarios and make bold predictions about the 2023‑24 season. Smith reiterates his preseason forecast that the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets will meet in the NBA Finals, emphasizing Klay Thompson’s resurgence as a top‑5 shooter and expressing confidence that the Warriors can win at home and on the road. The conversation then shifts to the Memphis Grizzlies, with both hosts arguing that the Grizzlies are ready to contend, highlighting Ja Morant’s MVP‑caliber play and the team’s aggressive, athletic style. A central point of contention is Jaren Jackson Jr.’s foul trouble; Green and Smith agree that if Jackson can stay out of foul trouble, Memphis will have a legitimate chance to compete, especially against big‑body players like Steven Adams in the Warriors’ screen‑and‑roll sets. The hosts also touch on the Brooklyn Nets’ shooting depth, the Boston Celtics’ completeness, and the New Orleans Pelicans as a potential threat. The segment ends with Green urging viewers to subscribe to The Volume’s YouTube channel.
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And taking it to the end of the year, who do you got in the finals?
The start of the season, I had y'all, the Golden State Warriors versus the Brooklyn Nets.
Okay.
My prediction, I don't think is looking that bad right now. See, I'm not worried about y'all the way everybody else is. My attitude is if you can win at home, you'll figure out how to win on the road.
Absolutely.
That damn Clay Thompson. And I say that damn Clay Thompson, 'cause you know I love me some Clay Thompson. I think Clay Thompson's one of the top 5 shooters in the history of basketball. And this brother, you know, all of these, not over the last 3 games, averaging over 25. He looks like the Klay I know and love. I don't know what the hell was going on with him the previous 17 to 18 games. I'm like, what the hell is up? You know, Jordan Poole, I believe in him. I expected more from Wiseman. I expected more from Kaminga and Moody.
Mm-hmm.
The fact that those are question marks, I think the Memphis Grizzlies deserve the nod over y'all right now. And I'm not sleeping on the Pelicans, but I say that with this caveat. If Klay Thompson and Steph Curry get going, I don't give a damn who goes up against y'all. Y'all taking them out. Y'all taking them out. And Boston is the most complete team. They're the better team. I think Brooklyn would beat Milwaukee. I don't know if they'd beat Boston. They gotta get a big body to deal with the likes of the Robert Williams of the world. They gotta get a big body. But KD, Kyrie, shoot, even Watanabe, Seth Curry, I mean, Patty Mills, these brothers are marksmen. And I'll go as far as to say this. I think y'all at y'all best as marksmen. I think the only team that would have a shot to beat y'all at your best is a Brooklyn Nets team at their best because they can shoot too. It will take that in order to knock y'all off. I would tell you Boston and Memphis deserve the nod today, but I'm holding on for dear life to my preseason prediction. Mm-hmm. UOL versus the Brooklyn Nets.
I think that's a strong preseason. You think Memphis is ready? You think Memphis is ready to take that jump to the NBA Finals?
Are you ready for this? I think Memphis is ready.
Absolutely.
And I think it's your fault.
Why is it my fault?
Because, you know, you whooping it up with the crowd in Memphis, you get them going. You understand what I'm saying? You got that going. You know, Ja's your boy, but you like talking to him. Y'all like talking back and forth 'cause they like talking.
They like talking.
Absolutely. Throughout my life of covering sports, the one thing I've always paid attention to are those truly knocking at the door. Memphis is knocking at the door. Now I know there's a part of y'all that believe Ja getting hurt, it was, shoot, it was more difficult of an adjustment for y'all 'cause y'all didn't know what they were gonna throw at you once Ja got hurt. Which is why they blew y'all out in Game 5 before y'all came and won Game 6 and ended the series. But Ja is something to behold. And by the way, I wanna throw him in the MVP conversation as well, 'cause he deserves to be in there. And I'm here to tell you something right now. This brother, Ja Morant, if he's healthy and he's going against y'all and they got home court advantage and you got a Game 7 in Memphis, Draymond Green, that's a tall cat. That's a tall task.
And I don't blame— Good task for them.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I agree. I agree. But I'm just saying, I'm not sleeping on them, bro. I'm not sleeping on them. They are Memphis and they can shoot. They've got athletes. They ain't scared. They aggressive. They go for it. They go for it. See, New Orleans to me is the new Memphis. Memphis, is knocking at the door. They tipping at y'all heels.
So I'll tell you how I see that because I think Memphis is knocking at the door as well. And I think, I think they are to be reckoned with. Like I don't look at them and be like, that's nothing. Like, no, we gotta deal with them. I know that we will deal with them, but we have to deal with them. But the thing that, The problem that they're gonna have, and I'm gonna say this because it's my little brother and I say it to him every time I see him.
Right.
Jaren gotta stop fouling. They cannot compete in a playoff series.
That's fair.
Especially with us.
That's fair.
If Jaren does not stop fouling.
That's fair.
Jaren can't end up in foul trouble.
That's fair.
5 of the 6 games in the series.
You need him on the court.
He has to be on the floor because there was gonna be times Steven Adams, who, who's incredible, plays his role better than anybody in the NBA.
Without question.
There's going to be times just in this NBA where you have to take Steven Adams off the floor. Like, it's just going to happen. The matchups, Steph Curry get going on the screen and roll, and you like, ah, we gotta get Big Stevo out, right? The person who may be able to defend that is Jaren. But if he's always in foul trouble, number one, you can't play aggressive.
Right.
And number two, You can't play at all. You're on the bench because you're always in foul trouble. So I think the key to them really being able to compete at that level is, it's actually not Ja. Like we know who Ja is, we know what Ja gonna do. And like you said, quite frankly, if we had that team figured out last series, if Ja didn't get hurt, I think we beat them in, I know we beat them in 5 'cause they was figured out, no problem.
Yeah.
But the key is not Ja. Ja is Ja. Ja's, that's like saying the key to the Warriors winning is Steph Curry. No, Steph Curry's not the key. We know what we're going to get from Steph Curry. Now, Steph Curry has to be Steph Curry and Ja Morant has to be Ja Morant.
Right.
But the key to making it all happen and like to giving them a legitimate chance to compete is Jaren Jackson. If Jaren can stop fouling, then they can really contend. But if Jaren can't stop fouling, Jaren's your second best player on that team. If your second best player can't stay on the floor, they're not gonna be able to win. So that's my challenge to them. That's my challenge to my little bro, my Spartan dog, Jared. He has to stop fouling.
No disagreement.
If they're ever gonna have a chance to win.
No disagreement.
What's up everybody? It's Draymond Green. Make sure you subscribe to The Volume's YouTube channel below so you don't miss any more of this great content going forward.
