Golden State Warriors defender Draymond Green said he has the case to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. With only 30 seconds on the clock against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, Green made a fantastic block on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In total, Green made a total of four blocks along with two steals against the Bucks as he brought his best to the court. In the end, the Golden State Warriors beat the Bucks 104-93 at Chase Center.
The Dubs were resting Steph Curry but Green’s performance helped them clinch a win. Green’s stellar defense makes him think that he is not far away from a second DPOY award.
“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.
“Especially with Wemby [the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama] going down, seemed like he had it won. And now it is right there. So 1 million percent I have a case, and I will continue to build that case for these next 13 games. Tonight was a prime example of that.”
The Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr showered praise on Green for his incredible defense against the Bucks.
“Draymond, that defense tonight on Giannis was incredible,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Green, who has nine blocks total in his past two games. “To hold him to five field goals, Draymond showed why he is still one of the great defenders in the world. It wasn’t just the defense; it was the leadership, the energy.”
The Warriors will next take on the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.