Despite a slow start to the season and a toe injury that took away 13 games through the early stretch, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is extremely confident in his chances to regain the title of Defensive Player of the Year.
“There ain’t five players in this league that are better than me defensively,” Green said, according to Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News.
Don't confuse the conviction and confidence in his craft as arrogance, as Green still has enough self-awareness and humility to give props where it is deserved.
Jrue Holiday, Victor Oladipo, Robert Covington, Anthony Davis and 2017-18 DPOY Rudy Gobert took the NBA's All-Defensive First Team honors at his expense last year, but he won't call out any of those players.
“I’m not one to call out anyone else and say, ‘I should’ve been on that.’ That’s hating type stuff,” Green said. “I don’t do that. Everybody who is on there, they did something to deserve to be on there. I’m not that type of guy that will throw shade at somebody else. I just know there aren’t five defensive players that are better than me. But I’m never going to be the guy to go at somebody and say, ‘Why this guy?’ I wasn’t raised like that.”
Green hasn't had an offensive season up to par with his previous ones, but you can't argue with his performance when the chips are down. Most recently, getting a timely joint-game-saving-block along with Andre Iguodala to set the stage for a Stephen Curry game-winning trey.
https://twitter.com/dkurtenbach/status/1084636479983300609
Green will have to show better consistency during the second half of the season if he hopes to surface as a candidate for 2018-19 DPOY, as his frequent absences surely haven't helped his case this season.
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