It would seem Draymond Green’s future Hall of Fame induction is solidified. He’s a four-time NBA Champion and one of the most impactful defenders of his generation. The Saginaw, Michigan product is also a four-time All-Star, nine-time All-Defensive Team selection and the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year.
Green, however, wants more “stamps” on his resume. He’s 35, and the league has several young players who are emerging as elite defenders. Last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, is only 24. Mobley’s win marked the 16th time in 17 years the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year was younger than 30 years old, with a 31-year-old Rudy Gobert in 2023-24 being the only such exception.
Green recently sat down with Sam Amick of The Athletic to discuss this stage of his career and where his ambitions remain as it nears a close. Here is an excerpt of their conversation.
So you’re 35 now, yet you were legitimately in the Defensive Player of the Year discussion last year. The Father Time fall-off hasn’t happened. The accolades have piled up. But that dude in San Antonio is coming. In terms of Defensive Player of the Year, I know you’re not waving the white flag. But he’s one of one.
It’s not like you just wave the white flag and say, ‘Ah man, he’s just gonna win (DPOY).’ It’s the same reason I’ve always loved to play against LeBron James. When you have an opportunity to go up against the best, it brings the best out of you, if you’re up for that level of competition. It brings your best out.
For a competitor like myself, how can I stop that for one more year? And it’s not that you want to stop it in order to see (Wembanyama) do bad. But how do I hold that off for one more year? As a competitor, that’s the thought. …You know this kid has set out to be great. You hear all the stories. You see all the work he’s put in. You see the improvements, which requires a lot of work. But as a competitor, as someone who’s been throughout this race for the last 10 years or so, how do you stay in the race? How do you make it a race? How do you continue to put your mark on something in a way that not many have? So that immediately becomes the mindset for me. It’s not like, ‘Oh man, he’s gonna win it.’ F— that. He’s clearly one of the best. And when there’s one of the best up, you want to see how you stack up against that — even at 35, or at that time I’d be 36, years old. Like, last year, nothing brought me more joy than seeing the ages of the first-team (selections).
To review, there was Cleveland’s Evan Mobley (who won DPOY and was 23 at the time), Daniels (21), Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort (25) and Houston’s Amen Thompson (22). As an aside relating to the 10-plus All-Defensive team group, only Duncan (38), Abdul-Jabbar (36) and Garnett (35) earned selections when they were Green’s age or older.
Now it’s just a matter of ‘How long can I stack up to those young guys?’ First you wanted to be the young guy stacking up. Now, it’s ‘How long can I stack up against the young guys before you ride it back?’
Take me back to the goal of being one of the guys who has 10 All-Defensive nods. Is part of the appeal of joining that group the fact that it could simplify the conversation around you when it comes to the mark you left on the game?
I think, to some degree, it definitely simplifies it, right? Like, I think everybody’s always looking for that stamp of approval. What is that thing that you can point to and say, ‘Yeah, (but) he’s in the Hall of Fame.’ And you have these things where people point out awards, championships, points — whatever the thing is.
I don’t spend every day like, ‘Oh, man, what more do I need to do to get in the Hall of Fame?’ I spend my days wondering, ‘What can I do to continue to play at an elite level?’ If I can continue to play at an elite level, the things will happen that makes that thing happen. I also don’t view it that way because I think I’ve done several things that add a stamp. You do what I’ve done to the tune of four championships, I think that adds a stamp. Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense teams, All-NBA, been an All-Star. (But) you’re always looking to add more stamps.
So, can Green add more “stamps” in the face of father time? Can a 6-foot-6 “big” do enough to earn another Defensive Player of the Year honor or a 10th All-Defense selection? Besides youngsters like Mobley, Lu Dort, Amen Thompson and Dyson Daniels, Victor Wembenyama seems locked in to snag a first-time selection if he’s healthy.
If Green can keep his name in the mix, it would be a major accomplishment. The Warriors adding Al Horford should help reduce Green’s minutes at center. But it could ultimately come down to the Warriors’ success and if he can keep the attention on his on-court impact (not technical fouls) to build on that legacy.