Draymond Green’s DPOY Push Falls Flat: ‘Definitely Got a Case’

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green did not come close to winning the Defensive Player of the Year award despite his late push and media campaign.

Cleveland Cavaliers‘ fourth-year big man Evan Mobley was the runaway winner, amassing 285 points, with 35 first-place votes. Steals leader Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks came in a distant second with 197 points, including 25 first-place votes.

Green finished third with 154 points, earning only 15 first-place votes.

A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

The complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/7eH65d7erV

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 24, 2025

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Green started campaigning himself for the DPOY award after locking up two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in a March victory.

In that Warriors 104-93 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Green held Antetokounmpo scoreless in seven field goal attempts as his primary defender, per NBA.com matchup tracking data.

The Bucks superstar was held to 20 points on just 5-of-16 shooting, his worst shooting performance over the past two seasons, according to ESPN. Antetokounmpo was minus-7 during his 39-minute stint on the floor.

“Obviously, if we keep winning and close this year out strong, most definitely,” Green told reporters at the time. “I look around the league and don’t see many players impacting the game on the defensive end the way I do. I don’t see many players completely throwing off an entire team’s offense the way I do. One thousand percent.

“Especially with Wemby [San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama] going down, it seemed like he had it won. And now it is right there. So 1 million percent I have a case, and I will continue to build that case for these next 13 games. Tonight was a prime example of that.”

Draymond Green Faded Down the Stretch

The Warriors kept winning while Green continued to anchor the best defense in the NBA since they acquired Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. However, Green’s defensive lapses in some of the Warriors’ losses late in the regular season put a dent in his case.

In their 114-111 loss to the Spurs that ultimately kept them from getting the No. 6 seed, Keldon Johnson scored against Green twice down the stretch.

“[We] Couldn’t get a stop,” Green told reporters after the loss. “Couldn’t get into nothing good offensively. Couldn’t get a stop.”

Unlike Green, Mobley was consistent from start to finish, anchoring the Cavaliers’ defense en route to the Eastern Conference’s best record. Mobley averaged 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.6 blocks.

Warriors Favored in Game 3 Despite Jimmy Butler’s Uncertain Status

With the DPOY race over, Green has more pressing matters to attend to with their playoff run in peril following Butler’s pelvic injury in their 109-94 Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets.

With Butler’s status for Game 3 uncertain, Green must step up on both ends of the floor. Butler is the Warriors’ top two-way player and best perimeter defender.

If Butler misses time, Green and the rest of the Warriors have a lot of ground to cover. Fortunately, they stole Game 1 in Houston.

With the series shifting to the Bay Area, the Warriors are favored to win in Game 3 as a -3.0 favorite at Bet365, one of the best sports betting apps, according to Sports Mole, with the jackpotjoy offers promo code.

The Warriors took the series opener 95-85 after nearly squandering a 23-point lead.

Green is averaging 6.0 points on 36.3% shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists against 3.5 turnovers, 3.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in the first two games of the series.