Draymond Green addresses losing DPOY award to Evan Mobley
Golden State Warriors’ defensive anchor Draymond Green missed out on his second Defensive Player of the Year award after Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley was voted the best defender this year. Green spoke about losing the DPOY award to Mobley.
After the Warriors’ Game 3 win against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, Green commended Mobley for winning the award, saying that the 23-year-old big deserved to win.
“Congratulations to Evan Mobley. Incredible young player…It’s always great to see young guys get their due in this league,” Green said.
Green was in the running to be this season’s DPOY winner, alongside Mobley, Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels and the OKC Thunder’s Lu Dort. Mobley got 35 first-place votes, while the 22-year-old Daniels followed him with 25. Green had 15 first-place votes to finish in the top three in the DPOY race.
As one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA, Green averaged 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on top of 1.0 blocks and 1.5 steals. The 35-year-old forward remained a key part of the Warriors’ offensive and defensive stances, helping the team reach the seventh seed with a 48-34 win-loss record.
Mobley averaged 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game to help the Cavaliers gain the top seed in the Eastern Conference with 64 wins and 18 losses.
Green last won the DPOY award in 2017 when he teamed up with superstar Steph Curry to win his second of four NBA titles.
DPOY award would have meant the world for Draymond Green
Draymond Green takes pride in his defensive abilities. A second Defensive Player of the Year award would have added another valuable accolade to his name.
Green explained what it means to win the DPOY award to NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole and Kerith Burke last month.
"It would mean the world to me; you know I pride myself on the defensive end. I think to be acknowledged as the best defender in this league is no small feat...I think all the hard work you put in to try and stay at an elite level, and to be recognized as the Defensive Player of the Year at 35, eight years after first doing it, it takes a lot of work and a lot of effort to have that type of longevity," he said.
Green is still expected to make it to the All-Defensive First team this year, which would be his fifth citation in his career.
