Draymond Green is peeved at his first-team All-Defensive snub
The former Defensive Player of the Year wants to get back to the top.
There are three things we emphatically know about Draymond Green: He carries chips on his shoulders, he speaks his mind, and he’s one of the best defensive players on the planet. On Monday, those three things all came together.
At the Golden State Warriors practice, Green’s accolades were brought up. Specifically, his placement on the second team of the 2017-18 NBA All-Defensive team. This came just a year after Green won Defensive Player of the Year.
Needless to say, he wasn’t thrilled about the selection.
Draymond Green: “I was second-team all-defense (last season). That’s crazy.”
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 8, 2018
Was that on you or the voters?
“Probably a little bit on me, but I don’t think any voter can tell me five defensive players better than me...I’ll wait.” pic.twitter.com/ol5ozooowk
Green said he’s motivated to become the Defensive Player of the Year again, calling his second-team selection “crazy.” Asked whether the drop to second team came because of a step back in performance, or merely being snubbed on the ballots, Green admitted that, “Probably a little bit on me, but I don’t think any voter can tell me five defensive players better than me.” He then paused for a few seconds, before adding, “I’ll wait.”
For what it’s worth, the five defenders that the voters did put ahead of him were Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis, Robert Covington, Jrue Holiday, and Victor Oladipo.