The Golden State Warriors glueman, Draymond Green, has missed significant time this season yet still has his sights set on Defensive Player of the Year.
After an 11-game absence, Draymond Green will return to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Golden State Warriors former Defensive Player of the Year winner believes the 14 games he’s missed shouldn’t impact his resume for the award.
While it shouldn’t, the reality of the award is that typically it does. That’s also to say that Green would even win the award with players like Anthony Davis and Rudy Gobert at the peak of their play.
However, Green seems confident he should still be in the running.
Despite missing half the season, Draymond Green has no doubt that he still can chase — and win — the Defensive Player of the Year award. The quest begins Monday, when @Warriors face MIN in Oakland. pic.twitter.com/fxvHX2UO7r
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) December 9, 2018
He mentions when Kawhi won the award. To fact check, Green said Leonard played 56 games that season. In reality, he missed 18 games, playing 64, the first time he won the award and eight, playing 72, the second time.
If Green can stay healthy for the bulk of the season, his chances for at least a fair assessment are still high.
Green has already missed 14 games though, and the season is just over a quarter of the way finished, so he’d have to stay healthy for the remaining 50+ games while playing out-of-the-world defensive each and every night.
Right now, Green is averaging 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.
It’s hard to justify Green winning the award with those numbers over Anthony Davis, who is currently averaging 3.0 blocks per game and 1.8 steals per game. It’s also hard to assume Green can reach averages even close to Davis’.
However, Green will be motivated by more than just an award. Green might be motivated to defend due to the millions upon millions he can request if he wins. If Green wins DPOY this season, he’ll be eligible for the supermax contract extension when available.
That said, there’s no better motivator than money, so we’ll see if Green can find a way to stay healthy and somehow prove to a committee that he’s a more vital defender than Davis. It’s a hard sell, but Green, if anyone, can do it.
This is his way to the big money deal. And, Green obviously has the award, and probably the money, on his mind.