Oct 10, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey (14) talks with head coach Taylor Jenkins during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Draymond Green Shreds Former Grizzlies Coach Amidst Knicks Rumors

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins has emerged as a favorite to land the New York Knicks' vacant post since the team started moving on from trying to steal presently-employed NBA coaches.

While the recently-fired Tom Thibodeau spent the first half of the 2020s leading the Knicks into the playoffs year after year, Jenkins built the Grizzlies into a dominant, homegrown unit that once hung with the NBA's elites.

Their system, built on accumulating undervalued depth pieces to surround oft-absent tar Ja Morant with, was a lot more impressive in the regular season then they were in the playoffs. They famously ran into Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors in their breakout season, with Jenkins and his team leaving a lasting impression on the eventual-champions that Green refuses to forget.

"Janky Taylor Jenkins"

–– Draymond Green does not seem to like the Knicks head coach candidate pic.twitter.com/zExCoY8Tut
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 14, 2025

The Hall of Famer clearly does not approve of Jenkins, referring to him as "janky" and a "softie" in critiquing the former coach's most recent run-ins with the Warriors. He calls Jenkins out for "running to the media crying about a foul" early into this past season, arguing that a soft mindset seeps into the young players the Grizzlies attempt to build up.

It's important to note that many coaches, players and analysts have had problems with Green, who's often blurred the lines between award-winning defense and mixed martial arts in his years as an "enforcer."

He's also known for his disdain for the Grizzlies, who employed their own miniature version of a cheap shot-throwing defensive specialist in Dillon Brooks, but hasn't exactly planted his flag in the Knicks' corner recently. Green's started beefs all over the league, and now looks to combine a New York team staffing a players he dislikes with a recently-fired coach looking to break back into the league.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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