Draymond Green finally earned his first Defensive Player of the Year award after finishing runner up in the prior two years to San Antonio Spurs star forward Kawhi Leonard — but he didn't get there just through perseverance but also through a long time of being a study at the defensive side of the ball.

The 6-foot-7 undersized power forward told Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News that he has been studying help-side defense since he was 12 years old, as part of growing up in the basketball-frenzied surroundings of his native Saginaw, Mi.

“I was blessed to have coaches growing up where they rolled the ball out enough, but they took time to teach me fundamentals,” Green said. “I think I'm a pretty good on-ball defender, but I think I'm a spectacular help defender. But that didn't start three years ago, that didn't start seven years ago. I learned help-side defense when I was 12.”

“I don't know how many people can say that. Nor do I think I want to teach a 12-year-old help-side defense. It's pretty boring. But it's helped me get to the point I am today.”

Green showed just how much he excelled as a help-side defender round after round of the playoffs, getting weak-side blocks on Damian Lillard, Gordon Hayward, LaMarcus Aldridge, and ultimately Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers — aiming to make an impact for his team in the less-glamorous side of the court.

“I'm thankful for those lessons,” Green said. “Actually having to learn the game and then being able to apply that, it helped me as I moved further along because guys continued to get better… but the one thing that's always been great for me is my brain.”