Draymond Green Snubbed for Defensive Player of the Year
On Thursday the results came out for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, and Draymond Green was snubbed from winning the award.
Green, who led in first-place votes with 45, finished in second place in the voting behind San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard. Leonard defeated Green by just 16 points in the final voting and Green finished 56 points ahead of third place.
Below is how the voting panned out:
Complete voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/4Ddc9dRsr3
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) April 23, 2015
Leonard had a terrific 2014-2015 campaign as well, so, how was Green snubbed?
Green played in 79 games compared to Leonard’s 64 games. The disparity in games played should have been a significant advantage for Green as he had more of an impact on his team’s overall record.
Speaking of overall record, the Warriors won 67 regular season games and the Spurs won 55 games. Once more, advantage goes to Green.
Green had a greater impact on his team’s defensive mentality compared to Leonard, as Green’s net rating is a +16.5, while Leonard’s is a +12.0. Green also has an advantage in plus/minus with a +10.6, compared to Leonard’s +6.9.
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In the first two games of the series against the New Orleans Pelicans, Green has proven that the Warriors need his defensive intensity on the court as he has a +47 plus/minus while playing 84 of the possible 96 minutes. In the two games he has two double-doubles, six steals, and two blocks.
When it comes down to the more generic defensive statistics, steals and blocks, it is a wash between the two players. Leonard holds a 2.3-to-1.6 advantage over Green in the steals category, while Green holds a 1.3-to-0.8 advantage in blocks.
The most impressive thing about Green defensively is that he can guard anyone on the floor. He’s quick enough to stick with point guards, long enough to defend opposing wing players, and big enough to put a body on power forwards and centers.
Green’s versatility defensively was seemingly overlooked by the DPOY voters.
If the Warriors are to advance past the Pelicans and they play the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round, Green could very well be the defining factor of the Warriors’ success against Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.
In a video released earlier on Thursday by Bleacher Report, Green talks about how he is disappointed by not winning the award, but that his main focus remains on helping the Warriors win the championship.
Greens’ selflessness shows by stating that he will remain focused on helping the Warriors accomplish their team goal of competing for a championship. He is truly the heart-and-soul of this club and also the voice of reason on the court.
Although Green had a tremendous 2014-2015 season, it was not enough for him to win the award, but who would have guessed at the beginning of this season that Green would finish second place in the entire NBA for this award? If you are raising your hand, I would like to know what the lottery numbers are.
The Warriors will retain Green on the roster, who will be a restricted free-agent after this year, and he will have many shots at winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award during his career.