Draymond Green: The Midseason Defensive Player Of The Year
By Aaron Mah
At first glance, Draymond Green most certainly does not look like your typical Defensive Player of the Year — he’s not seven feet, he’s not the most physically-imposing, he does not play a premium defensive position, nor does he average anywhere near 3.0 blocks per game.
Conversely, Green is barely 6’7″ in shoes, is often categorized as a three-four tweener, and struggles to jump 33 inches off the ground.
Yet, through 40 games, he is considered by many to be the heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors, the best defensive team in the NBA this season — leading the league in both defensive rating at 97.0, and opponent effective field goal percentage at 46.2, per NBA stats.
Accordingly, the ebullient forward has received his share of praise and recognition — including numerous advocates supporting the idea of Green as a potential max-contract player.
While his fair market value will ultimately be determined this summer, when Green hits the restricted free agency market; his play thus far this season has vindicated Warriors head coach Steve Kerr‘s decision to insert him into the starting lineup — in place of a former all-star, in David Lee — and also augmented the Warriors’ D, despite the sporadic absence of Andrew Bogut, Golden State’s conventional defensive anchor.
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More specifically, during the month December, a month in which Bogut missed 10 of the Warriors’ 14 contests, the Dubs’ were still able to hold opponents to 97.5 points per 100 possessions and an opponent effective field goal percentage of 47.5 percent, good for third and fourth, in the two respective categories, over the aforementioned month.
In addition, in lineups that feature Marresse Speights at center and Green at power forward, alongside their usual trio of perimeter starters in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Harrison Barnes, the Warriors only relinquish 96.6 points per 100 possessions and an opponent effective field goal percentage of 48.2 percent.
More interestingly, when Kerr inserts veteran swingman, Andre Iguodala, into said lineup in the place of Barnes, the Warriors’ defensive rating and opponent effective field goal percentage drops to 94.0 and 48.1 percent, respectively.
As well, not surprisingly, Green’s on/off numbers candidly captures his profound individual impact on the defensive end.
Particularly, according to ESPN stats, he is currently ranked third in Defensive Real Plus-Minus (DRPM), sporting a DRPM of 4.46 — which essentially means that Green personally helps shave 4.46 points off, per 100 possessions, from his defensive contributions alone, through the context of his role.
Moreover, he leads in the league in Defensive Win Shares, and currently ranks fourth in Defensive Box Plus/Minus — only trailing a trio of traditional seven-foot rim protectors, in Rudy Gobert, Tim Duncan, and fellow teammate, Andrew Bogut.
More convincingly, according to 82games.com, the Warriors only concede 97.8 points per 100 possessions and an opponent effective field goal percentage of 45.0 percent when “the Dancing Bear” (his legit nickname, per Basketball-Reference) is prancing on the court.
In contrast, the Dubs allow a defensive rating of 105.7 and an opponent effective field goal percentage of 47.3 percent when Green is on the bench.
Furthermore, the Warriors’ defensive rebound percentage plummets from 71.8 percent to 67.6 percent, a net difference of 4.3 percent, with Draymond out of the game — an eye-raising stat considering that the Warriors rank within the bottom-third of the league in terms of defensive rebound percentage.
| Draymond Green | On Court | Off Court | Net |
| Defensive Rating | 97.8 | 105.7 | -7.9 |
| Opp eFG% | 45.0% | 47.3% | -2.3% |
| Block % | 7% | 6% | +1% |
| Def Reb % | 71.8% | 67.6% | +4.3% |
*Data courtesy of 82games.com
Statistics aside, Green’s activity, passion, and omnipresence, has become the trademark attributes of the Warriors’ defense.
In an era in which versatility breeds success, you will be hard-pressed to find a more versatile defender in the NBA.
Specifically, Green is one of a select few who has the ability to functionally defend one-through-five.
In fact, according to SportVU, opposing point guards score at an average of 0.39 points per possession — with the league average being 0.63 on drives — when attempting to take Green off the bounce. Bigs, similarly, struggle to score against Green as well, as he only surrenders 0.68 points per post-up, the best mark of anyone in the league who has defended more than 75 post-ups this season.
While playing primarily at the power forward position, Green is susceptible to giving up deep post position; he compensates his lack of class “four” size with his sturdy lower body strength, a freakish 7’1″ wingspan, and impeccable timing on blocks.
His unique combination of physical traits, in conjunction with his unremitting motor, allows Green to create an uncommon amount of deflections and turnovers. In fact, he is one of only three players thus far this season to average at least 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game — the other two being the 6’11” rookie pterodactyl known as Nerlens Noel, and the 6’10” basketball cyborg known as Anthony Davis.
Additionally, despite being labeled as a small forward masquerading as a four, Green is one of the best rim protectors in the association.
In fact, opposing rim attackers convert on only 45.8 percent of their shot attempts at the rim when Green is patrolling the paint, the best mark of anyone not named Dwight Howard, Andrew Bogut, Roy Hibbert or Serge Ibaka — a.k.a. the NBA’s core of elite defensive anchors.
Top-10 Rim Protectors This Season
| Pos. | Opp FGA at Rim per game | Opp FG% at Rim | |
| Serge Ibaka | F/C | 8.1 | 40.2% |
| Roy Hibbert | C | 8.0 | 40.4% |
| Andrew Bogut | C | 7.4 | 40.8% |
| Dwight Howard | C | 8.2 | 44.9% |
| Draymond Green | F | 6.5 | 45.8% |
| Larry Sanders | C | 7.0 | 45.8% |
| Tim Duncan | F/C | 9.1 | 46.2% |
| DeMarcus Cousins | C | 9.3 | 47.3% |
| Nerlens Noel | F/C | 8.3 | 47.5% |
| Josh Smith | F | 6.6 | 47.6% |
*Data courtesy of NBA Stats
Furthermore, the myriad of ways in which Green defends the pick-and-roll — whether switching two-through-five, hard-showing and recovering with active hands, or jumping out aggressively to contest a three — is unrivaled as we presently stand.
His contagious competitiveness — never shy to politely remind the opposition to perhaps rethink their shot selection — serves as the foundation to Golden State’s team identity. And his unwavering swagger — highlighted by his slew of over-the-top taunts — is what transformed him from second round fodder into a potential max-contract player.
No doubt, the Warriors have assembled an impressive cast of lanky, versatile defenders, such as Thompson, Barnes, Shaun Livingston, and Justin Holiday, but it is Green’s — not Iguodala’s or Bogut’s — multi-functional skill-set and hustle that makes the Dubs’ defense as proficient and stifling as it currently is.