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Steve Kerr on Draymond Green: He’s the best defender I’ve ever seen

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Below are all four of his blocked shots. Each shows the many ways Draymond Green can completely disrupt an offense. “He’s the best defender I’ve ever seen,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I mean, you see the pick-and-roll with Dame. If he’s in it, he kind of does this fake blitz thing with his speed, with his anticipation. He forces Dame back out towards halfcourt and he’s able to get back. The speed and recovery with Draymond is just stunning. “And then the brain that goes with it. If he’s on the weak side, he’s constantly coming over to help. He’s one of the great defenders of all time, and he’s still doing it at a high level.”
Source: NBC Sports Bay Area

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

StatMuse @statmuse
Highest +/- since the trade deadline:
+174 — Naz Reid
+165 — Draymond Green
+164 — Tobias Harris
+151 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The only players over +150. pic.x.com/RxvYJLB193 – 6:18 PM

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Draymond Green soundbite from last night explaining why having Jimmy Butler roaming in help behind him allows for a more aggressive defensive style pic.x.com/3wzARjvjuu – 6:00 PM

Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
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Live w/@adaniels33 on @SiriusXMNBA Channel 86 for the next 3 hours.
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– Draymond performance of the season
– State of the Union on the Bucks offense
– OKC/PHI & WAS/UTA must see TV tonight
– Let’s have a DPOY talk pic.x.com/9Ba3Pttguw – 12:59 PM

CBS NBA @CBSSportsNBA
LIVE in 5! @JohnGonzalez @sportsreiter: Is this the closest MVP race in NBA history? Why is SGA such a big favorite? What do people around the NBA think? How to fix MVP voting? Does Draymond have a DPOY case & more!!
youtube.com/live/YeZIWe8nF… – 11:55 AM
John Gonzalez @JohnGonzalez
Beyond the Arc LIVE on YouTube 12 pm ET w/ @sportsreiter
-SGA vs Joker MVP race deep dive
-Draymond says he has a case for DPOY “1 million percent”
-Jimmy’s impact on Warriors
-Harden puts poor Evan Mobley on skates
youtube.com/live/YeZIWe8nF… – 11:51 AM
Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Draymond Green: ‘One million percent I have a case’ to win Defensive Player of the Year
Green was the primary defender on Giannis Antetokounmpo for 7:04 of the Warriors’ win over the Bucks and held the former MVP to 0-of-6 shooting in the Warriors win
nbcsports.com/nba/news/draym… – 10:32 AM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Jimmy Butler’s scoring, Draymond Green’s defense lift Warriors over Bucks with Steph Curry out nytimes.com/athletic/62148… – 10:24 AM
Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
Draymond Green Makes His Case for Defensive Player of the Year sportando.basketball/en/draymond-gr… – 10:19 AM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Draymond Green on DPOY: “I want another one.”
“Especially with Wemby going down. It seemed like he had it won. Now it’s right there.”
“One million percent I have a case and I’ll continue to build that case.” pic.x.com/Xzww4H8etz – 1:59 AM

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Here’s Jimmy Butler going long on Draymond Green’s defense
“You gotta respect the hell out of what he does.” pic.x.com/bJjnG4Z5ov – 1:36 AM

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Steve Kerr on Jimmy Butler’s offensive usage: “He’s been telling you guys when it’s time, he’ll do it. Tonight it was time.” pic.x.com/JnQezTJC7x – 1:09 AM

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Warriors take winding path to important home win over the Bucks without Steph Curry: 104-93. Jimmy Butler willed them in second half. Finished with 24-10-8 and went 11/11 on FTs. Two huge Podziemski 3s in clutch. Draymond Green led defensive effort. Nullifies the Nuggets loss. – 12:44 AM
Eric Nehm @eric_nehm
Giannis Antetokounmpo attacks in transition on one of the first possessions of the third quarter and Draymond Green draws a charge.
Doc Rivers is challenging the call. – 11:32 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Draymond Green at the center of a great defensive half for the Warriors. Three blocks, two steals, blew up a ton of Milwaukee possessions and bothered Giannis. Warriors up 58-44. – 11:16 PM
Eric Nehm @eric_nehm
So, Gary Trent Jr. just made a transition layup with his right hand, but as he went up with his right hand, his left hand hit Jimmy Butler on his follow-through.
The officials called a foul on Butler, but Steve Kerr has asked for a challenge. – 10:37 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Warriors starters tonight vs Bucks
Brandin Podziemski
Moses Moody
Jimmy Butler
Draymond Green
Quinten Post – 9:35 PM
Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
“Draymond and Jimmy got respect for each other.”
🔊 NBA Champion Marreese Speights talking to @WorldWideWob and Ryan McDonough about Golden State since adding Jimmy Butler. pic.x.com/OWXljCmgEB – 7:38 PM

Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
“Draymond and Jimmy got respect for each other.”
NBA Champion Marreese Speights talking to @WorldWideWob and Ryan McDonough about Golden State since adding Jimmy Butler. pic.x.com/GiRLDcYkoa – 7:00 PM

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Steph Curry will miss the Warriors game against the Bucks tonight, I’m told. Steve Kerr made it pretty clear last night he felt Curry needed a rest night. Back has been bothering him recently. – 4:22 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Steve Kerr: “We got what we deserved.”
On what sparked his agitated first quarter timeout huddle: “Bad body language.” pic.x.com/PWQ2fBDYIl – 1:04 AM

Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Steve Kerr says Steph Curry is tired. He repeated it multiple times when asked about Curry having 20 points, 7 assists but seven turnovers. He said it’s clear Curry is fatigued. He isn’t sure if Curry will play tomorrow against Milwaukee but doesn’t think the back was an issue. – 1:00 AM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Steve Kerr on Steph Curry
“He’s tired”
“He’s exhausted”
“He’s been carrying us for a month”
Kerr said they’d “potentially” sit him tomorrow vs Bucks in hopes to get him rejuvenated pic.x.com/dTCdl9ZNrr – 1:00 AM

Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe
Turnovers
7 — Curry
7 — Westbrook
7 — Gordon
4 — Draymond
3 — Santos – 12:41 AM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Starters tonight
Warriors
Steph Curry
Moses Moody
Jimmy Butler
Draymond Green
Quinten Post
Nuggets
Russell Westbrook
Hunter Tyson
Michael Porter Jr.
Aaron Gordon
Peyton Watson – 9:39 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Steve Kerr on facing the Nuggets tonight: “It’s a big game. If we win, we are within (2.5 games) of Denver and we face them again at home. If we lose, it’ll probably be impossible to catch them.” – 8:29 PM
Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
“If we lose this game it will probably be impossible to catch (Denver),” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said about the West standings. – 8:27 PM
Katy Winge @katywinge
Steve Kerr says Steph Curry is a game time decision tonight against Denver – 8:21 PM
Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
“[Draymond Green] decided to [hang out after the win over the Knicks] because he was testing to see if he could get away with it”
@JumpShot8 didn’t like how the Knicks responded to Draymond’s disrespect toward Karl-Anthony Towns pic.x.com/KR8HcwgsSZ – 7:24 PM

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Tune in to NBA Today 🚨 4-7p ET w/ @TermineRadio & @JumpShot8
🌞 Suns embarrassed
🔥 Rockets & TWolves rolling
😕 KAT vs. Draymond
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📱Call the Show: (855-622-5867) pic.x.com/EvfKzfnbdk – 4:01 PM

More on this storyline

The stats Tuesday night did Green justice. Often times they don’t tell the full story, particularly on defense, requiring watching the game to actually make it clear why Green deserves so much applause. “I look around the league and I don’t see many players impacting the game on the defensive side the way I do,” Green said. “I don’t see many players completely throwing off an entire team’s offense the way I do. So, one thousand percent. Especially with Wemby going down. Seemed like he had it won, and now it’s right there. “One million percent I have a case, and I’ll continue to build a case over these next 13 games. But tonight I think was a prime example of it.” -via NBC Sports Bay Area / March 20, 2025
Butler is in his 14th NBA season. Playing 17 games alongside his fellow 35-year-old has given him an enhanced sense of appreciation for Green. “Hell yeah,” Butler said. “I think you have to respect the hell out of what he does, and it’s so hard to do. To shoot the ball, I don’t know, four times maybe, if that, and then just lock in on defense every possession down and get mad when anybody scores — not just the guy he’s guarding — you don’t find that around the league too often. “He has won at this level. He is a Hall of Famer for a reason. I just respect what he brings to this squad, what he brings to this locker room and how he affects winning in every single way.” -via NBC Sports Bay Area / March 20, 2025
Green not only helped the Warriors win without Stephen Curry (rest), but his smothering defense on Antetokounmpo — who came in averaging 30.4 points per game as the second-highest-leading scorer in the league — is what Green hopes is the latest case for a second NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. “Obviously, if we keep winning and close this year out strong, most definitely,” Green said when asked if he thinks he has a case to be named the league’s best defender. “I look around the league and don’t see many players impacting the game on the defensive end the way I do. I don’t see many players completely throwing off an entire team’s offense the way I do. One-thousand-percent. -via ESPN / March 19, 2025