Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has a tough job to do. He has to temper the ego of multiple young NBA stars, including those who don’t seem to like his team that much.
That includes Jaren Jackson Jr, who’s fresh off being named Defensive Player of the Year, yet wasn’t on the floor when Team USA closed out New Zealand in the FIBA World Cup.
As good as the Memphis Grizzlies star is, he often gets into foul trouble, which is why Kerr decided to roll with Paolo Banchero instead. Needless to say, Jackson didn’t exactly care for that.
Steve Kerr Wants Jaren Jackson Jr. Out Of Foul Trouble
“He has the ability to block everything,” Kerr told Yahoo Sports. “But sometimes he needs to dial it back a little bit. He’s foul-prone in the NBA. So, there’s always one or two plays where you just want him to let it go, because he’s too important to us. So we share those clips and just remind him sometimes the best play is to just let the guy go and don’t pick up the foul.”
“Go get it, man,” Jackson replied. “It comes with it. If I’m gonna be less aggressive, I’m gonna have less blocks, I’m gonna bring less rim protection, and I’ma have less fouls with all that. Pick one or the other. Which one do you want? Do you want me to be great or not?”
At the end of the day, he’ll have no choice but to comply with his coach’s demands. But it’ll be interesting to see how he handles things when the Grizzlies face the Dubs next season.
