OAKLAND–It takes one to know one.
A year after Draymond Green won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, Green’s play thus far certainly puts him in the running to defend his title.
However, if Green had a vote for this year’s award, the Warriors’ forward said he wouldn’t vote for himself. Instead, he tab teammate Kevin Durant.
“I think he is, if not the leading candidate,” Green said, when asked if Durant is a candidate for the honor this year. “I don’t think it’s really a race right now, the way he’s been playing on the defensive side of the ball. He’s been spectacular. So it’s a thing now, which is impressive because it always seemed like it wasn’t possible to be a thing. He’s getting more and more attention for that and obviously, he’s helping our defense tremendously with the way he’s playing on that side of the ball. So if I had a vote, I’d vote for him right now.”
Is Green just playing along with the crowd, or does Durant’s candidacy have legs? After shutting down Cavs’ star LeBron James twice in the final 90 seconds on Christmas Day, a national audience took notice of how well Durant has been playing on the defensive end of the floor.
A look at the stat sheet shows Durant’s holiday effort wasn’t a flash in the pan, but rather a mark of the consistent effort Durant has played with on defense throughout the regular season. Aside from turning himself into the top one-on-one defenders in the league, Durant leads the NBA with 70 blocks, proving he’s also a top rim protector.
The Warriors’ starting small forward is the only non-center or power forward among the league’s top 25 shot-blockers, and he and James are the only small forwards ranking in the top 30. While Durant has clearly taken his game to the next level on defense, he’s still averaging more than 26 points and five assists on the offensive side of the floor.
Though Green thinks Durant could supplant him as the Defensive Player of the Year, Durant’s all-around effort could translate into a strong MVP candidacy.
“I think a lot of times people forget who Kevin Durant is and what he’s capable of,” Green said. “It’s no surprise to me the things he’s been doing with Steph out. He’s had to take on more ball-handling, more scoring responsibilities, he’s more than capable of doing that. I think with him getting everyone else involved, that’s kind of the role that he’s capable of moving to over the course of his career. He’s in year 11 now, he’s great at that.”
