Draymond Green more open to future coaching career now than he was two years ago
Draymond Green more open to future coaching career now than he was two years ago originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green isn’t ready to leave the NBA anytime soon — but for the first time, he’s no longer shutting the door on what could come next.
After the Warriors’ 119-97 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, Green spoke candidly about his evolving mindset toward coaching, acknowledging that the idea resonates with him more now than it did even a couple of years ago.
“As I get closer to the end, I think a little bit more about it, and I’m definitely closer than I was a couple years ago,” Green told reporters. “You had asked me two years ago, I would’ve told you hell no.”
That shift, Green explained, stems from his growing sense of responsibility to pass down what he’s learned — and a belief that the game loses something when veteran knowledge isn’t shared.
“You play this game for all these years, and then you’re just done — like, where does the knowledge go?” Green said. “What did you do? What did you give back to those to keep it moving forward, to keep the game growing? You owe it to the game to leave it in a better place than it was when you found it.”
Green credited former NBA player Pete Myers for instilling that philosophy in him early in his career, and emphasized it’s why he’s intentional about mentoring younger players whenever he can.
That approach hasn’t gone unnoticed inside the locker room. Third-year guard Brandin Podziemski pointed to Green’s basketball IQ and leadership.
“Really, really smart guy when it comes to basketball,” Podziemski said. “X’s and O’s, knows how to talk to people, how to be a leader — all things you’d want in a good coach, I think he brings, so I could definitely see that in his future for sure.”
Jimmy Butler echoed that sentiment, praising Green’s anticipation and feel for the game.
“His basketball mind is out of this world,” Butler said. “He sees all the plays before they happen. He’s always studying the game, and he wants everybody to be great. I actually really do believe he’d be a phenomenal coach.”
For now, Green insists his focus remains on playing.
“I still think I’ve got quite a bit left in the tank,” he said. “But it’s definitely not a ‘no’ anymore.”
