While Jimmy Butler was busy leading the offense in the absence of superstar guard Stephen Curry, it may have been Draymond Green's defensive masterclass that was most important in the Golden State Warriors' 104-93 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Chase Center on Tuesday night.
Green came out like a man on a mission following Monday's shock defeat to the short-handed Denver Nuggets, immediately taking on the unenviable challenge of guarding 2x MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Draymond Green has officially entered the Defensive Player of the Year discussion
Antetokounmpo is one of the most dominant and efficient offensive forces in the league, having entered the game averaging 30.4 points this season on over 60% shooting from the floor. The 'Greek Freak' was a shell of himself against Green though, finishing with 20 points on 5-of-16 shooting as the Golden State defense kept Milwaukee to their lowest score of the entire season.
According to Warriors on NBC Sports Bay Area, Antetokounmpo was 0-of-6 shooting when guarded directly by Green. The veteran forward set the tone early with a trio of blocks in the opening period, before finishing with 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and four rejections in the 11-point win.
It was the sort of standout performance that's officially elevated Green into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. An award once under Victor Wembanyama's lock and key, it's all of a sudden burst wide open after the All-Star break and his season-ending deep vein thrombosis diagnosis.
"I look around the league I don't see many players impacting the game on the defensive end the way I do," Green said when asked about the DPOY conversation. "Especially with Wemby going down. It seemed like he had it won. Now it’s right there.”
Clinic https://t.co/742gdn47qf pic.twitter.com/BVFSMU31e1
— Denver📈🇵🇸 (@doubledworth) March 19, 2025
At 35-years-old and eight years removed from his one and only Defensive Player of the Year title, most believed Green was out of the discussion despite his continued brilliance on that end of the floor.
There's few who would argue that Green hasn't been short-changed in only winning one DPOY throughout his career, but the fact he's now a legitimate candidate again does come as somewhat of a surprise given this stage of his career. Yet suddenly the 4x All-Star is in the frame, putting forth his strongest case in Tuesday's defensive masterclass.
Steve Kerr reiterated post-game that Green is "the best defender I've ever seen," while Butler also had high praise for his new teammates as the two veterans led Golden State to a massive win without Curry.
Green only needs to appear in 10 of the last 13 games to reach the 65-game eligibility mark. Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley is now the favorite among bookmakers, but the Warrior legend may be his closest rival for the award as the regular season winds down.