Draymond Green speaks his mind anytime, anywhere, and he didn't disappoint in his conversation with USA TODAY's Sam Amick on this year's Defensive Player of the Year award.
The Golden State Warriors forward has been outspoken about his desire to finally get the award that has escaped him the last couple of years, claiming it was the only personal accolade which he was looking to chase, as it helps everyone involved.
Green dished on his thoughts of fellow candidate Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, who is leading the league in blocked shots with 2.6 per game.
“No disrespect, but I think when you look at today’s game, the object is to actually stop the three, as opposed to not giving up a two,” Green said. “So you have to be able to do multiple things.”
The Michigan State standout made it a point to mention his versatility, the rare ability to defend spots one-through-five, makes him that much more deserving of the award.
“That’s kind of the way I look at it,” said Green. “Like I said, Rudy is great at what he does, and I think he has changed games. But I think this is, like you said, a guard-heavy league and being able to switch onto guards and being able to defend one through five, just being able to play no matter who’s out there on the floor, and you’re not at a disadvantage, I think it helps.”
Gobert and Green are actually tied for the best defensive efficiency rating at 98.4, making this a much closer race than most believe. Gobert leads the league in blocks and Green leads the league in steals, the two players are big-time game changers, and it would take a few small factors to separate the two.
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