Draymond Green has been acknowledged for his most recent performance in Stephen Curry’s absence. Fans who were able to watch the recent game between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors will be informed that Curry took a hard fall and appeared to hurt his tailbone.
His absence urged the rest of the Warriors to step up and get this win. While the Warriors had several stars who stepped up to the occasion and got the job done, one could argue that Green deserves a fair share of the credit. His play in this game has some fans claiming that he should win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Draymond Green Led the Warriors on Both Ends of the Court
As a 13-year veteran, Green has built a reputation to lead the scoring to his teammates. He has always focused more on the defensive end of the court and facilitated for the elite shooters on his team, such as Curry. He can be considered an all-around player who does all the dirty work for the Warriors.
To put things into perspective, Green has averaged 9.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists this season. Therefore, fans were stunned to witness him put him 21 points against the Raptors; a feat he only achieved one other time this season. His increased production on offense did not appear to slow down his defense at all. Green also recorded five assists, four steals, and seven rebounds.
Acquiring four steals in a single game is a rare feat and speaks to Green’s defensive abilities. Fans who noticed his impact on the Warriors took to social media and shared their perspective that he should be a frontrunner for the DPOY award, “Incredible defensive play from Draymond, this is your DPOY.”
Incredible defensive play from Draymond, this is your DPOY.
— Niko (@nikotaughtyou) March 21, 2025
The play the fan is likely referring to occurred when Green shot a 3-pointer with less than two minutes left in the game. Although he missed, the Warriors veteran sprinted back on defense to steal the long alley that the Raptors attempted. Instantly, making up for a wasted possession with a brilliant defensive play was integral to the Warriors’ victory.
Fans also cited stats to prove that Green has a better defensive rating than some of the other candidates for the DPOY award.
Draymond Green is DPOY pic.twitter.com/FGfDwBvzMe
— Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) March 20, 2025
Give Draymond the DPOY tonight
— CfcSheikh (@CfcSheikh) March 21, 2025
Green is a former Defensive Player of the Year in his own right, when he won back in the 2016-17 season, as well as securing an All Defense award eight times in his career. However, the fact that he’s doing this on the latter-end of his career makes his accomplishments that much more impressive.
