And yet, longtime assistant coach Ron Adams pointed to Green’s intelligence as perhaps his greatest strength and the biggest reason he – along with Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels – is a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Prior to the Golden State Warriors' opening game of their first round matchup with the Houston Rockets, the NBA rolled out their finalists for multiple awards, including Defensive Player of the Year.

HOUSTON – Warriors big man Draymond Green is a finalist for the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year award. The NBA announced Sunday before the Warriors’ series opener against the Rockets that Green was in the running for the award alongside Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels.