One of the key matchups in the Western Conference during the final stretch of the 2024-25 regular season took place Thursday night between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena. There, Steve Kerr‘s team secured an important 123-116 victory, with a standout performance from Draymond Green, especially in his defense against Luka Doncic.
The 35-year-old forward made a crucial block against Doncic when the Warriors were up by six with less than a minute remaining. This play further solidified Green’s case as a favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, even prompting an NBA legend to make a strong claim about it.
“Give him the trophy already,” said Reggie Miller during the game between the Warriors and Lakers, according to Legion Hoops. The iconic guard for the Indiana Pacers praised Green’s performance throughout the season, especially in this pivotal game, and made it clear that, in his opinion, the forward deserves that honor.
Draymond Green’s last chance to win DPOY?
Draymond Green himself has given significant attention to the debate over who should win this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award. He was honest about how his chances may decrease in the coming seasons as young stars like Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren continue to emerge in the league.
Former NBA player and current analyst Reggie Miller.
“I spoke about it earlier in the year. I spoke about it last year, about Wemby and Chet. The young guys are great, and what they’re doing is amazing,” Green said in a recent interview with ESPN. “I do think this is one of the last best chances I have. I think I’ve put together a good case, and I have six or seven games to continue to make that case.”
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Draymond then expressed confidence in his merits for winning the award. “Whatever happens, I think I should win it,” he stated. “I wish luck to all the guys in the running because it’s an incredible thing.”
Green believes he should have won DPOY more times
As he competes for his second DPOY – his first was in 2017 – Draymond Green also looked back and said he should have won it more often. “I think if you look at the last — call it 10 years — of basketball, we’ve been right at the center of basketball over the last 10 years, having an extreme amount of success,” he said about the Warriors. “And I think I’ve been at a pretty high level defensively over the course of those 10 years… To only have one? I think a couple of mine are sitting in a couple other people’s trophy cases.”
Green then reviewed the list of NBA players who have been selected 10 times to the All-Defense Team. Included are Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Garnett, Scottie Pippen, and Tim Duncan. “All first ballot Hall of Famers, all some of the best defenders we’ve ever seen in NBA history… And I’m at 8,” said Draymond.
“By no means am I either one of them, but if I can just put my name next to that group — like wow,” he acknowledged. “I think I’ve worked my tail off to continue to maintain that level, play at a level — the level that I’m playing at — and what I bring to the defensive side of the ball. I don’t think you can find anyone else in the NBA that does that.”
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