Draymond Green’s Defense on Zion Williamson Earns Him “One of the Best Defenders in the World” Tag From Steve Kerr

Draymond Green was a man on a mission tonight. After Zion Williamson got the better of him last night, Green channeled his former DPOY self and took charge of guarding Zion again. Tonight, it was Dray who won the matchup. Holding Zion to a mere 5-of-20 from the field, Green’s impact on the defensive end of the floor was crystal clear.

After the game, Steve Kerr spoke about Green’s impressive performance. Complimenting his leadership, Kerr said, “Yeah, he’s still one of the best defenders in the world, that’s for sure. The way he battled out there, but also the way he led, his energy. Talking to the team during timeouts at halftime, he was fantastic.”

Green took charge of the team both days in Stephen Curry’s absence. Yesterday, his half-time speech inspired the team to overcome a 20-point deficit. Tonight, Green helped the team keep their composure after establishing a lead. At the same time, his defensive prowess was on full display, leading to the Pelicans losing their cool.

When asked about Green’s defense on Zion, Kerr said,

“He just made it hard on him. Seven free throws for Zion, that’s a good number for us. I mean, you just worry that he’s gonna have one of those games where he gets 14, 15 free throws.”

Talking about what makes Green so good, Kerr said,

“Draymond has a unique ability to be physical without fouling because he’s so smart. He knows the angles. He understands how to use his strength and his long arms to make people have to shoot over him. And he’s an incredible shot challenger. It was just amazing to watch, just watch how smart he is and how active he is.”

Watching Green’s defense tonight, the only word that came to mind was stifling. The defense caused Zion and the Pelicans to get frustrated, and it clearly showed.

Draymond’s defense reminded us of his yesteryears when he was constantly in the running for DPOY. That is exactly what Green wanted everyone to see.

Draymond Green wants to be in DPOY conversations again

The 2023-24 season wasn’t the best one for Draymond Green. Even though his performance on the court was excellent, his on-court antics had him in suspension trouble. This kept him out of end-of-season honors, including the All-NBA Defensive teams.

At the same time, the conversation around DPOY and All-Defensive teams has names like Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Rudy Gobert. Draymond wants to get back into this conversation.

One, it is really hard for anyone to ignore and forget Dray. Secondly, if Draymond keeps playing like he has in these five games, it would be hard to keep him out of the DPOY talks. Green is an eight-time All-NBA Defensive team member and is gunning for his 9th entry.