OAKLAND -- Despite missing most of the first seven weeks of the season, Draymond Green will not adjust his lone individual quest. He still wants the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award -- and believes he still can make his case.
Asked Sunday if he thought missing 14 of the first 27 games might hurt his chances, the Warriors forward responded emphatically.
“Nah. Hell no,” he said. “Kawhi (Leonard) beat me one year, and I think he played 56 games, or something like that. So, hell no. It’s still on my mind. And I’m going to get it done.
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“I’ve just got to come back and lock the league up, which I’m more than capable of doing. I think I’ve proven that.
“So. Nope.”
[RELATED: Draymond to return to Warriors' lineup Monday]
Green has the right number of games but the wrong player and the wrong season.
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Rudy Gobert played 56 games last season and still managed a landslide win. The Utah Jazz center picked up 89 out of 101 first-place votes. His 466 overall votes more than doubled the combined totals of the next three finishers.
Green finished sixth in the voting, and received only one first-place vote.
The year Green was referencing is 2014-15, and Leonard, then a member of the San Antonio Spurs, actually played 64 games and edged Green in the voting. Green finished with 317 overall votes, 37 for first place, while Leonard totaled 333 and 45, respectively.