As the NBA regular season winds down, the debate over the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award is heating up. While Draymond Green has positioned himself as the frontrunner, Cleveland Cavaliers star Darius Garland has a different take, firmly backing teammate Evan Mobley as the deserving winner.
Green, whose defensive game has flourished since the arrival of Jimmy Butler to Golden State, has declared himself the leading candidate. However, Garland believes Mobley’s quiet dominance on the court sets him apart as the true contender for the prestigious award.
After a victory over the Chicago Bulls, Garland appeared to take a subtle dig at Green while passionately explaining why Mobley should claim the DPOY honor. “He doesn’t hack, he doesn’t scream at the refs, he goes [and] blocks shots,” Garland said. “His deflection numbers are off the charts. He guards one through five. I mean, what doesn’t he do? He just doesn’t express it how other people express it”.
Garland seemed to contrast Mobley’s composed demeanor with Green’s fiery on-court personality but was quick to emphasize his teammate’s dominance as a defender.
Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors reacts in the face of Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
“That’s just a little bit of my case,” Garland added. “I can go on Twitter and podcasts and do the same thing for my boy. But I’m [going to] let him talk his talk whenever he wants to”.
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Warriors star Draymond Green explains Jimmy Butler’s surprising impact on his 2025 DPOY run
Why Draymond Green believes he deserves DPOY
In a recent episode of his podcast, The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, the four-time NBA champion outlined why he believes he should take home the DPOY award this season, citing a unique skill set unmatched by others in the league.
“No matter what the situation is for me defensively, I’m fit for it,” Green explained. “I protect the rim, I can guard the pick and roll, I can trap the pick and roll and still guard my man without help, which I think is a skill that I have in the NBA that I don’t think anyone else possesses”.
Green continued, pointing to his basketball IQ as another key factor. “Then also my basketball IQ—I think I see plays way before they happen,” he said. “I can spot something, I can sniff something out in a heartbeat, and I’m quick enough, I’m strong enough to react and address the issue”.
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