HOUSTON – Warriors big man Draymond Green is a finalist for the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year award.
The NBA announced Sunday before the Warriors’ series opener against the Rockets that Green was in the running for the award alongside Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels.
Green, 35, averaged 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in the regular season. He was named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for March.
During Green’s strong play in March, Warriors coach Steve Kerr compared Green to two of his former Chicago Bulls teammates during the 1990s.
“You can see the parallels, the length, the physicality, and ultimately it’s up here, it’s the brain, and Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen were the two smartest defenders I’ve ever been around, and Draymond is amazing in that regard,” Kerr said.
The versatile big man is an eight-time All-Defensive team selection and won the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year award.
He has long been viewed as a top defensive player for his ability to guard both on the perimeter and near the rim. This season he has taken on more minutes as a center, eventually taking over the starting role in the middle as the Warriors have struggled to find solutions at the spot.
Green has publicly politicked for the award in recent months in press conferences and interviews and via his own platform on his podcast.
“When I look around the league, I don’t see many players impacting the game on the defensive end the way I do, Green said. “I don’t see many players completely throwing off other teams’ offenses the way I do.”