In this interview‑style podcast segment, host Speaker A congratulates Draymond Green on his Defensive Player of the Month award and probes how the prospect of a second Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) honors is influencing his mindset during the final stretch of the season. Green explains that being in the DPOY conversation is a rare, career‑defining opportunity that fuels his focus and intensity. He highlights the Warriors’ defensive consistency, noting a top‑10 ranking all season and a jump to the league’s No. 1 (or No. 2) defense since the addition of Jimmy Butler. Green describes his preparation for clutch defensive moments, using the recent steal on Luka Doncic as a “Heisman”‑type play, and recounts a similar game‑changing steal against Tracy McGrady in the playoffs. Throughout, he emphasizes the mental approach of seeking the “holy grail” defensive opportunity, the pride of taking the ball from elite opponents, and gratitude for his health and the chance to compete at a high level. The conversation blends personal motivation, team defensive identity, and vivid recollections of signature defensive plays.
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I want to congratulate you, bro, on winning Defensive Player of the Month.
Oh, I appreciate that.
We started this pod together. You know, I've been campaigning for you to be Defensive Player of the Year. You've been balling, you've been playing your ass off on the defensive side. I'm talking about showing up like a Defensive Player of the Year is supposed to show up to win your second Defensive Player of the Year. Like, talk about that. Like, how is that motivating you, especially these last 20 games, right? The last month and a half, it just, you stepped it up a notch, right? A couple notches. Talk about, you know, Defensive Player of the Year and what that means to you and how that motivates you.
To have the opportunity to just put my name in the hat to compete for it, It's everything. It's extremely motivating. You know, these opportunities don't come around all the time. And I think, you know, I was, I felt like all year I was having a first, first team, all defense caliber type of year all year anyway. I think our defense, regardless of what's happened this season throughout the different parts of the season, I think the one thing that was constant was our defense was good. We've had a top 10 defense all year.
Yeah.
And you know, with Jimmy coming in, our defense has gotten even better. Our defense has actually been number 1 defense in the league. Number 1, number 2 defense in the league since Jimmy been here. So with that being said, to have to, you know, to know that like, yo, I can really make a push for this thing. It's been extremely motivating. You know, just going into these games, having that added fire, factor of like, yo, I really wanna accomplish this. Like, I need to lock in and focus on what the task is at hand, you know? And so it's motivated the hell outta me. And like I said, to even be in the running, you know, at this point in my career, I'm grateful, man. Thanks a lot. I'm grateful. I'm grateful for my health, you know, to be healthy enough to, can compete at this level still. Like, but I, you know, I'm continuing making my case.
You've been a testament, you know, the whole season. You know, we watched the ups and downs, the injuries, the, you know, the doubt, how you feel when I'm coming back, right? And, you know, now and then it starts, I feel good, I feel good, I feel— oh yeah, I'm feeling good. Yeah, I'm feeling my Attitude changing, the vibe changing. We playing for something and, you know, you just, you just keep elevating. Like the big shot against the Lakers, you hit the clutch crunch time 3. That was big. But for me, it was the steal on Luka, right? Those are the plays that make Defensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year.
Absolutely. It's like a Heisman moment.
Right.
Right.
Talk about that moment. Talk about that moment because everybody gonna celebrate the winning shot, but not everybody celebrate that big steal or that winning defensive play. Talk about just that play in general and just what moments like that mean for somebody like you.
You know, it's always fun to make those plays down the stretch because the reality is they usually come on a Luka or a Joker because those are the guys that's gonna have ball down the stretch, right? A LeBron, like, you know, they're in those moments, very rarely are you taking the ball from the third option on the team. You don't have the ball in that moment.
Right.
Unless it was like a broken play and somehow you ended up with the ball. But like a broken play, if the third option got the ball on a broken play, it ain't highly likely that it's working anyway.
Mm-hmm.
And, or fourth option or fifth, you know, like—
It's usually created by the first guy. Yeah.
Yeah.
It's usually created by the first guy. Yeah.
Exactly. In those moments. And so to make those plays down the stretch, like to me, I'm always looking for that moment. Like it's my chance, you know what I'm saying? Like to do what I do in the game, how I can, you know what I'm saying? Every now and then you may look up and end up with a shot for a chance to win the game or tie the game or something like that, be off a broken play or somebody drove and kicked it. But more often than not, Steph taking that shot, Jimmy taking that shot. Like, and that's just what it is. And so for me, in those moments, it's like, this is my game-winning shot. You know what I'm saying? Like, this is how I can win the game. And I love, you know, I love having those moments. And so when Luka drove in, I'm watching the whole time waiting for him to see if he gonna expose the ball. 'Cause if he expose the ball, I'm going for it. And in those situations, like, I'm gonna go for it in a way where if I foul, you just going to the line for 2 free throws.
Yeah, nah, for sure.
And at that point in the game, up the, up, I think 5 points at that time, 5 or 7 points. At that time in the game, if I foul you and you going to the line for 2 free throws, we don't care anyway.
Right.
Now I'm not gonna timidly reach and like give up an and-1. I ain't gonna do that. I'm going completely for the strip.
That's a get right there. That's a get.
Yeah, the only other thing that's going to happen if I miss this strip is I'm fouling you and your arm going down. So, you know, to make that play in that moment though, like, Like I said, I'm always looking for that opportunity because I feel like as a defender, like that's the holy grail as a defender. Like as a defender, that's your Heisman moment. That's your game-winning shot. Like that's your— and so I'm always looking for those opportunities.
Right. And good defense, I mean, good offense beat good defense. Great offense beat great defense. Sometimes, could offense beat great defense, right? Is, you know, we play an offensive game, so anytime you can get, you know, the game-winning deflection or the steal— I remember I did that to, uh, T-Mac in the playoffs, right? Um, I think it was like game 1, like game 1, T-Mac game-winning shot, right? And I just came out of nowhere, stole the ball, and it was— it was— it felt better to me than hitting game winners, right? Not— you know, I had some playoff game winners. But that was like the moment where it was like, man, like T-Mac got the ball, like, you know, it's over. And, and to— that's like a Luka, that's a big get. Like, so for a defensive person, it's like, oh, I, you know, I, I, I got one of the best people in the league. Um, it's just a, a big notch, a big notch, and a nice big pat on the back.
So 100%. I got Joker before for the game. —Yep. In Denver. I just got Luka.
Come on now.
It's always fun to make that play against some of the greats, man.
Come on, man.
It's always like, this is hard.
That's what make 'em great. That's what make 'em great. That's what make 'em great. So—
I was happy to see you had to get that ball like that.
Hell yeah.
In LA, you know the stars is out, like—
Yeah, the stars, everything.
Man, that was big game. That was one of the ones that you like, ah, ha, ha. That was a high ticket, right?
Right there. That was a high ticket. That was a high ticket.
