Now in his 13th season in the NBA, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has accomplished a lot. He is a four-time All-Star, a four-time NBA Champion, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and a one-time Defensive Player of the Year, among other accolades. Green is likely a future Hall of Famer and still has some years left in the tank. However, the Michigan native recently spoke about wanting to achieve a certain milestone this year and being “motivated” to do so (YouTube link).
And, you know, with Jimmy coming in, our defense has gotten even better. We’ve actually been the number one, number two defense in the league since Jimmy’s been here. So, with that being said, to know that—like, ‘Yo, I can really make a push for this thing’—it’s been extremely motivating. Just going into these games, having that added factor of like, ‘Yo, I really want to accomplish this,’ it’s like I need to lock in and focus on the task at hand. It’s motivated the hell out of me. And like I said, to even be in the running at this point in my career—I’m grateful, man. I’m grateful. I’m grateful for my health, to be healthy enough to compete at this level still. And I’m going to keep making my case.”
According to Bovada, Green (-400) is the betting favorite to win the award. However, Evan Mobley (+350) and Luguentz Dort (+500) are not far behind.
Draymond Green ‘Motivated’ to Achieve This Accomplishment
Draymond Green Believes He Can Win the Award
Last month, the Warriors veteran spoke about his standing in the award race. In doing so, he said he thinks he can “most definitely” win the award. At the time, Green had the second-highest odds to win the award behind Mobley.
“Obviously, if we keep winning and close this year out strong, most definitely,” Green said when asked if he thinks he has a case to be named the league’s best defender. “I look around the league and don’t see many players impacting the game on the defensive end the way I do. I don’t see many players completely throwing off an entire team’s offense the way I do. One thousand percent.
Additionally, head coach Steve Kerr recently called Green “the best defender I’ve ever seen.”
“He’s the best defender I’ve ever seen,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I mean, you see the pick-and-roll with Dame. If he’s in it, he kind of does this fake blitz thing with his speed, with his anticipation. He forces Dame back out towards halfcourt and he’s able to get back. The speed and recovery with Draymond is just stunning. “And then the brain that goes with it. If he’s on the weak side, he’s constantly coming over to help. He’s one of the great defenders of all time, and he’s still doing it at a high level.”
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With less than a week left in the season, Green is in a good spot to win the award for the second time in his career. However, it is still worth monitoring until it becomes official.
Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
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