Draymond Green believes the Memphis Grizzlies are due for a reality check next season.
After finishing the 2021-22 season with the second-best record in the NBA (56-26), Memphis secured home-court advantage in the first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and again in the Western Conference semifinal series against the Warriors before losing in six games.
Ever since their departure from the playoffs, multiple Grizzlies stars, including Ja Morant — who went back and forth with Draymond Green on Twitter last week — have been quite vocal on social media.
Green joined former NBA star JJ Redick for a live crossover event of “The Draymond Green Show” and “The Old Man and the Three” podcasts, where he was asked about the Grizzlies’ trash talk and mentioned how “oblivious” they are as a young team.
“Oh no, I love it, I think it’s absolutely incredible,” Green said. “I love them talking s–t. I think it’s great. I’ve spoke on the podcast before about Memphis being oblivious to the situation like, they’re — (to the crowd) no, serious. And it’s not an insult. It’s actually a compliment. They’re young and they don’t know how big these moments are.
“So they’re just oblivious to it. We’ve been there before where you’re just in the moment and you’re planning like, I’m in my third year, we’re competing for a championship. You’re just in that moment, like you don’t know how big this moment is. You don’t even know to get nervous because you don’t understand how big the moment is. And so I’ve said that about Memphis, like those young guys, they’re unfazed by anything. And a large part of the reason that they’re unfazed is because they just don’t understand how big the moment is.
Draymond believes now that the Grizzlies have arrived, established themselves as one of the best young teams in the league and continue to talk, that they’re in store for a reality check next season.
“Now, talking shit to the team that won a championship after they beat you after they win a championship is an entirely different level of oblivion,” Draymond added. “It doesn’t get much more oblivious than that. And I think for them, you’re now going to be expected to do that. You’re now going to be expected to win these games. And it’s not as easy when teams are coming for you.
“And so I think now, they’re going to get their reality check. And it’s not that they will still be able to win. They may still be able to win, but they’re going to realize how much harder it is for them to win. And now because they’re talking the way they’re talking, they better lose that oblivion, because they better understand these moments now are huge.”
Morant, for example, Tweeted on June 18 that he wants to play the Warriors on Christmas Day in Memphis.
Draymond and the world champion Warriors will not be traveling anywhere that day, a perk that comes with winning the championship. Morant and the Grizzlies, however, have an open dinner invite if they do end up playing Golden State in San Francisco on Christmas Day next season.
“To show you the level of oblivion, by the way. Ja [Morant] told me on Twitter, ‘Yeah, bring them to the M for Christmas.’ F–k no, nobody’s coming to Memphis for Christmas, number one,” Green explained. “Number two, the champs don’t travel for Christmas … I said shout out to LJ, Bron changed that rule years ago where you win the championship you play at home, so maybe we’ll see them kids in the bay for Christmas Day. I’ll invite them over for dinner. They can have dinner with me and my family after we beat them on Christmas day if that game happens.”
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With how exciting the series was between the Warriors and Grizzlies, a prime-time matchup between the two teams on one of the biggest days of the season certainly would make for a great game.
Until then, Draymond and the Warriors will continue to celebrate their fourth championship in eight seasons.
