Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green joins elite DPOY company
The Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green won the Defensive Player of the Year after coming up short two years in a row. He’s now in elite company.
The Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green finally grabbed that elusive Defensive Player of the Year award. For two years, he’s been the runner-up as Kawhi Leonard. He was able to get over the hump this year.
Green was absolutely spectacular throughout the whole season. He saved multiple games for the Dubs. He effortlessly switched from guys like Anthony Davis to Dennis Schröeder to LeBron James.
More from Blue Man Hoop
- 3x champion may come to regret forgoing Golden State Warriors reunion
- Golden State Warriors: History shows USA may need Stephen Curry for more than the Olympics
- 7 players Golden State Warriors might replace Klay Thompson with by the trade deadline
- Golden State Warriors villain pours on more pain to end USA’s World Cup
- Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry continues philanthropic efforts off the court
It seemed impossible at the time, but Green somehow elevated his play from last year. He received more first place votes than Leonard, but was left off some ballots. So, after narrowly losing that award and losing the championship (possibly because of him), he turned it up a notch.
He was a monster all year long. Not only was he executing at a high-level, but he was directing his teammates. He pushed them where he needed to be while disrupting everything that the opponents were trying to do. Green was dominant.
The Warriors got their revenge on the Cleveland Cavaliers in this year’s NBA Finals. While it was Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant leading the way, Green was still a very important contributor on both ends of the floor. He helped the Dubs claim their second title in three years.
A few weeks later, Green was named the Defensive Player of the Year. The award was just out of reach for two consecutive seasons, but he was able to secure it this year, edging out Rudy Gobert and Leonard. Individually, it’s the best honor he’s earned.
It wasn’t only a great individual moment for him, but it was also a historic one in the landscape of the Warriors’ franchise and the entire NBA. Green became the first player to become the DPOY for Golden State. That’s a pretty significant achievement that will surely bump him up a spot or two on the Warriors’ all-time list.
Green also became the fifth player in league history to win the Defensive Player of the Year award and the title in the same year (this probably should have happened in 2015). Now, to be fair, that number would probably be bigger if the award had been introduced before the 1982-83 season. A guy like Bill Russell most likely would have done that a few times.
Still, Green is in very elite company. He joins 1987 Michael Cooper, 1989 Dennis Rodman, 1994 Hakeem Olajuwon, and 2008 Kevin Garnett as the only players to be named the best defender in the league in the same season they win a championship. That’s not a bad group to be in.
Next: Top 10 Draft Picks in Franchise History
Defense wins championships and those five exemplify that. For Green, he gets to climb up another rung on his ascent to basketball greatness. His resumé is looking much better now, but he still has plenty of work to do.
Expect Green to try to top this year as he gets to defend his title starting in the Fall.