“I’m happy to see him back out there.”
Draymond Green during the Warriors’ loss to the Celtics. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
March 19, 2026 | 11:00 AM
3 minutes to read
Draymond Green’s take on Jayson Tatum: Though he likely won’t be winning popularity contests anytime soon among Celtics fans, Draymond Green’s perspective should be one that Boston fans take notice of.
The longtime Warriors forward was a conspicuous thorn in the Celtics’ side in the 2022 NBA Finals, but he’s also an astute observer of the league and (given his background) has plenty of experience in knowing what a championship-caliber team looks like.
Having surveyed the Celtics during Boston’s eventual 120-99 win over Golden State on Wednesday, Green was impressed by one player in particular. Unsurprisingly, it was the recently-returned Jayson Tatum, who scored 24 points with 10 rebounds.
“He looks great,” Green said, per MassLive’s Souichi Terada. “Still moving well, still getting downhill. Handle’s still there.
“Obviously, coming back from an injury like that, it’s going to take you a little while to get your full burst back,” said Green. “He can still get downhill. Looks incredible and it’s amazing to see him back out there on the floor. Talking about a guy who loves basketball and it [got] taken away.”
Green, who was an Olympic teammate of Tatum’s, noted that he was pleased to see the Boston star back on the court.
“I’m happy to see him back out there.”
Still, Green couldn’t resist some characteristic trash-talking.
“I told him before the game, he wasn’t going to score on me. He wanted that last shot bad. I was happy about that,” Green joked. “Just a little fun banter. We were talking a little bit. We were having fun. Enjoying the game. Nothing too crazy.”
Trivia: Draymond Green’s final NCAA Tournament run while at Michigan State ended in the Sweet Sixteen in a 57-44 loss to what school?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: This team was coached by a former a former Celtics head coach.
Scores and schedules:
The Celtics defeated the Warriors 120-99 on Wednesday. Boston will play the Grizzlies in Memphis on Friday at 8 p.m.
The Bruins host the Jets tonight at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, the Fleet host the Torrent at the Tsongas Center at 4 p.m.
Boston Legacy FC travel for the club’s first road game to play the Houston Dash on Saturday at 4 p.m.
And the Revolution will also be on the road Saturday, facing St. Louis City SC at 8:30 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
Bad news for the Pistons: Detroit, which leads the Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings by 3.5 games, will reportedly be without star player Cade Cunningham for “an extended period of time” after he was diagnosed with a collapsed lung.
Just in: Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and is expected to miss an extended period of time, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/JIHABIIOY5
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 19, 2026
On this day: In 1981, Danny Ainge’s late heroics led BYU to a 51-50 upset win over Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament.
Daily highlight: During Boston College’s win over UMass Lowell on Wednesday, Eagles shortstop Julio Solier went all-out to make a diving catch.
Julio !!!! #SCTop10 @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/g55OmTkVMe
— Boston College Baseball (@BCBirdBall) March 18, 2026
Trivia answer: Louisville
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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