Warriors vs. Clippers NBA Play-In Preview & Draymond’s NBA Awards

What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. It is playoff time. Well, play-in time, but playoff time. I'll get into our play-in matchup against the Clippers, Doc Rivers stepping down as the Bucks coach, and my official NBA Awards ballot. Let's get into it. [MUSIC] We officially have the play-in matchup and it is the number 10 Warriors, us, versus the Clippers at the 9 seed. We will be in at Intuit Dome. I am filming this episode Night before the game. And you know, we've had a couple good days of practice, obviously staying here in LA. We played Sunday versus the Clippers. So we stayed over. I had a couple good practices here in LA. I think, you know, we have a great game plan. Guys feel good about it. Just gotta go out and compete hard, man. You know, it's— the play-in is interesting. Obviously you get away from college and you, you know, you get away from the one game and go home. Mm-hmm. And I think what, 4 or 5 years ago? No, the Play-In's been in since 2020, since the bubble. You know, we've had the Play-In and, you know, I think, you know, I spoke last week about the Play-In and what it's done for the NBA and how I thought earlier in the Play-In, you know, the first few years of it, I thought it really had a huge benefit. I thought you saw teams like 12 through 13 fighting to get to that 10 seed to give themselves a chance at a playoff spot. And, you know, over the last couple years, especially this year with all the tanking, we could have lost our last 15, 17 games and still been in the play-ins by that team. You know, and so I think, you know, when I look at that, you ask yourself the question of, is it really working now? Yeah. You know, in the position we're in, obviously we had a ton of injuries and our record is what it is. You know, you, you, you're thankful for the play-in, but we've also been in a situation where we've been the 7th seed, you know, where we've been the 8th seed, 7th seed again. And those are normal, just playoff slots. And then you have to work your way through the play-in. I think overall, when I look at the play-in, It's added some excitement at times for sure. And like I said, for a team like us that, you know, think are much better than what our record would say had we been a healthy squad most of the year, then you cherish the opportunity, you know, getting Al back, getting Steph back, you know, and we've been in these do or die situations before. You know, I think we got guys that, know what it takes. Myself, Steph, Al, KP, GP, you know, all NBA champions with a lot of playoff experience. And so for us, I think what it ultimately boils down to is number one, um, the team that play hardest will win. Uh, the team that follows their game plan the best will win. I think our coaching staff has done a great job of putting in a great game plan. I think over the last couple days, guys have gotten really comfortable with the game plan and over the course of the next 24 hours, you get more and more comfortable with it. But this is a team that knows us very well. You know, Ty Lue and Coach Kerr coached together in Olympics. We've had several matchups against Ty Lue throughout his coaching, head coaching tenure. First starting with the Cavs and then, you know, with the Clippers. And like I said, we know what they're trying to do. Yeah. They know what we're trying to do. Who's gonna go out there and want it more? Who's gonna go out there and get the 50/50 balls? Who's gonna go out there and stick to the game plan and have game plan discipline? Not make some, not make game plan mistakes. Ultimately, like I said before, that's the team that win. Now I will say, and Greg told me this, we have struggled with the Clippers as of late. I did not know. Yeah. That we were 1-9 in our last 10 meetings. I know there's been quite a few close games. We were 1-3 versus them this year. There's been quite a few close games within those last 10 meetings. Unfortunately, we've won one of them. So we gotta flip the script. I think everybody's feeling good about that. You know, there was— Yeah. A lot of questions about, "Oh man, you know, playing the Clippers last regular season games, did it help you scout?" That had to be the most vanilla game you've ever seen. They didn't run much. We didn't run much. You know, I didn't play in that game. So I won't— Kawhi didn't play in that game. So I won't— I don't think anybody's taking much from that Sunday game, that last game of the season. It's kind of, for us, it was just an opportunity to get Steph more playing time, to get Al more playing time, to get KP more playing time. It was just an opportunity to get those guys on the floor. And now, you know, you start the real thing. So looking forward to having Big Al back, you know, KP, see how the lineups go. But, you know, I think, you know, having those two guys really strengthens us as far as our bigs go. Yeah. Which is huge, you know, so we are about as healthy as we're gonna be. Which, listen, gotta play the hand you dealt. The hand that we were dealt is what it is. So looking forward to being out there with Al some, looking forward to being out there with KP some, looking forward to seeing those two guys out there together. However it shakes out, one thing I know for certain is that guys are gonna come in, give it their best go. We expect to win this game and then move forward and take on the winner of Phoenix and Portland. But very tough game. Kawhi's playing the best basketball he's played in the— I wouldn't necessarily say his career. Kawhi's been great for a long time, but we just have not seen him this healthy in a long time. And now that he is healthy, he looks like the Kawhi that everybody grew to know and love. And you know, the 2-time Finals MVP. Mm-hmm. He looks like that Kawhi, even better. And so tough matchup, but nonetheless, it's a complete team effort. Gotta make sure guys are committed to that game plan and doing all that they can to make it tough on him. Which ultimately, if you can make it tough on an opposing team's star player, you make it tough on everyone else. Now, this is a new look Clippers. Darius Garland has been back for about a month now or so. He's playing good basketball. They're playing a lot faster with Darius Garland at the point, you know, so, you know, and then when Kawhi goes out the game, you know, everything runs through Darius. So, you know, that's a different, different wrinkle, if you will. Something that we'll have to adjust to. But ultimately, very good team, very well-coached team. It'll be a tough matchup, but looking forward to it. And I strongly believe it's one that we can bring home. All right. Now that it's finally spring, I've been out been outside a lot more, walking everywhere, making plans, even squeezing in a few weekend trips. And every year around this time, I realize my closet just isn't keeping up. I want stuff that looks good but can actually move with me. And refreshing your wardrobe every season can get expensive fast. That's honestly why I started looking for a better option and ended up signing up for Fabletics as a VIP. And it completely changed how I shop. When I signed up, I got 70 to 80% off everything, which made it so easy to try a few new pieces without overthinking it. And the quality really surprised me. Everything feels soft, breathable, and actually holds up. Lately I've been reaching for this lightweight matching set. I wore it on a long walk and then straight to brunch and it just works for everything. Shop now at fabletics.com/draymond to get 70 to 80% off everything when you sign up as a new VIP. Take a quick style quiz and be sure to select Draymond when prompted to unlock your 70 to 80% off. This is a limited time offer, so don't wait. Again, that's fabletics.com/draymond for 70 to 80% off. Everything has a new VIP. The first round series are set with the exception of the 1 seed and 2 seeds. Those will be set over the next few days. But I would say, and we'll get into all of the first round series in depth when they're all final, but just to throw it out there, I will say I think the most exciting first round series or the first round series that I'm looking forward to the most You wish the Lakers was healthy ultimately to see the Lakers play the Rockets in the first round with a healthy Luka, with a healthy Austin Reeves, and obviously Bron would've been very fun to watch. So I think that one's kind of taking a hit a bit with the injuries, which ultimately leaves, I think one of the best, better first rounds will be Minnesota and Denver. I know a lot of people were saying like, yo, they thought Denver should have tried to lose and get outta the 3 seed and not face Minnesota. Minnesota has been able to give Denver some problems as of late over the last couple years. So that series will be great. However, Minnesota's also been a bit banged up. Jayden McDaniels missed most of the last few weeks of the season. Anthony Edwards missed a good chunk of the last month of the season. So they've been a bit banged up, you know? So finding the rhythm will be important. And then Denver has been steadily getting healthy, you know, getting guys back, getting Aaron Gordon back, getting Peyton Watson back, getting Christian Braun back. You know, they've been getting healthier. Not sure if Peyton Watson is back. I know he had reinjured himself, but overall I think the Nuggets are a bit healthier. Than the Timberwolves. We'll have to see if that plays a huge factor in the series. But I would say that's definitely the most exciting first round series that we got on the docket so far. Doc Rivers stepped down as the Bucks head coach after 2 and a half seasons at the helm. I think we could kind of see this coming. I saw an interview with Lou Will and Chandler Parsons and their crew the other day. And you know, Lou Will spoke about it after and he was just saying like, man, I couldn't believe Doc was that candid during the interview. However, it makes sense that he kind of knew that that was it for him and he can be candid about things. He discussed the Cam Thomas situation. He discussed other things that's happened with the Bucks. You know, I'm a big Doc Rivers fan. I love Doc. Got the utmost respect for Doc. There's been a lot of talk over the last few weeks about Doc pointing the fingers. And the reality is, I think Doc just told the truth. You know, you go to coach a team with Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, and both of those guys miss time in the playoffs. Both of those guys get hurt, and you never really get to see the team that you, you all put together, you know, that you thought would give yourselves a chance at, or give themselves a chance at a championship run, you know? And they just never were really healthy. Giannis missed a lot of this year. Obviously Dame missed all of this year and Dame's moved on, but they were just never really healthy. And then they faced other injuries as well. They faced injuries with Kevin Porter Jr. Like they've been pretty beat up, you know? And then coming into this year, You know, they made the Miles Turner move. I don't think that's quite panned out the way they thought it would pan out. However, I think, you know, if you have Giannis, I think Giannis may have played 30-something games this year. Miles Turner isn't the guy that's coming in to like be the guy in the franchise. Like, so I think when you look at it, yes, he did struggle this year and the move hasn't panned out the way they thought it would pan out. But— Yeah. When you made the move, you thought Giannis Antetokounmpo would be out there. So the idea would be, all right, we're replacing Brook Lopez, who's been a stretch 5 for them for the last 6 years or so, and we're gonna replace him with a more agile stretch 5 in Myles Turner. Well, you're replacing him to create space for Giannis, but if there's no Giannis out there, then where does Myles even find his shots? You know, and I think, You know, you saw Miles at times look disconnected during the season. I think another thing that people don't really speak about or realize, this is his first year after 10 seasons with one franchise. What's the mental adjustment of that, right? Like, you know, is he going through the season like, "Man, did I make a mistake with leaving?" Like, you gotta take all of that stuff into account, especially with the way the season has gone. For Milwaukee. So who knows what happens in Milwaukee, but if this is it for Doc Rivers, number one, congratulations again on Hall of Fame nomination, a Hall of Fame career. If this is it, it's been a hell of a ride for one of the all-time greats, sixth all-time in NBA wins. Mm-hmm. I think one of the most special things about Doc is, Doc was a hell of a player. Doc was an all-star in the NBA. Nobody remembers because of how great of a coach he became. And so you can say what you want. People try to throw out the Boston championship and be like, "Oh man, he lucked up with Boston." A championship is a championship. And you don't get lucky and win championships. You have to actually put the work in to win championships. And Doc Rivers, is an NBA champion head coach. So like I said, if this is it, kudos to Doc. Cool story, Glen. It's been fun. It's been great to play against one of the greater coaches in NBA history. It's been a complete honor. So if this is it, salute to the OG Doc Rivers. It is time for my official NBA Awards ballot. And first we will start off with the MVP award. At 5th, I have Luka Dončić. I think Luka's had a great year. Um, and by the way, I know there's this whole controversy on whether Luka will be eligible or not. They're gonna apply. I'm gonna just go out on a limb and say I don't think they're going to change the rule, but apparently there's some speculation that they say Luka may get an exception. If Luka gets an exception though, Cade Cunningham has to get an exception. Yeah. So I'm gonna put Luka out there for now. My whole list could be different if Cade also gets an exception, if Luka gets one, because why would there be exceptions made for someone else? And like, Cade Cunningham was extraordinary as well. No one's expecting him to have a collapsed lung and need 3 more games and not be able to play. Like, he needed 3, needed to play 2 or 3 more games with like 15 games left. Yeah. And so again, the rule was never put in place to punish someone like Kade and what he just went through. But those are the unintended consequences of the rules. So I'm going Luka at 5 if he gets the exception. Jalen Brown at 4. I think Jalen Brown has had a great year. Ultimately, I don't think he's done enough to overtake the top 3. Needless to say, if you do have him, in your top 3, you're not wrong. I think he's had an incredible year. I just don't know that I can put him over my number 3, which is Joker. And in an ideal world, Joker would be higher. He led the league in assists and he led the league in rebounds. That's insane. That's a combination that really just doesn't even make sense. But the Joker is the Joker. And you know, sometimes with Joker, and I apologize, sometimes people get fatigued with great. You get, you reach such a high level of greatness that people just become accustomed to what it is that you've done. And so, Joker's at 3. Got Wimby at 2. The force that he's been on the defensive end has been absolutely incredible. The way he dominates the defensive side of the ball is equivalent to the way people dominate the game offensively. Now let's talk about the offense. He's a mismatch problem every single night. He gets anywhere near the rim, they just throw the ball to the rim. He's the only person can get it. He scores the ball in multiple ways from the 3, off the dribble. They're running flares for this guy. He's 7'5" and he's coming off flare shooting 3s. Like something we've never seen before. Think he's put it all together and he has his team as the 2 seed in the West. I gotta go with Wimby at number 2. Yeah. And then at number 1, we got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Ultimately, I think the way Shai has gone about this year, he's played great. He reached the amount of games he need to reach. His team is still the team to beat, number 1 record in the league. He's still doing what he doing on a nightly basis, putting up 30 points and carrying his team. And I think it's beautiful to watch. I said before, I think Wemby has to do some things to go take it. I don't think it can be neck and neck and you get the nod over the guy who's already won MVP. So maybe next year Wimby can go take it. But this year I got Shea Gildress-Alexander as back-to-back most valuable player in the league. Now we'll move to our defensive player of the year. And this is a funny one because I don't know who number 3 or number 2 is. I just know Victor Wemba-Nyama's number 1. And there's a far gap in between 2 or 3. In saying that, you have to have a top 3 in voting and Wemby's probably going to be the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. At number 2, I'll go Chet Holmgren. I think Chet's had a great year. I think he anchors the best defense in the NBA. I think he does pretty much everything well. Like you can't pick on Chet. You put him in a pick and roll, he know how to guard the pick and roll. You go to the rim, he can block the shot. So I'm going Chet Holmgren at 2. And then at number 3, I'm gonna go with the young fella, Ammann Thompson. I think the way he's hawked the ball, Our man has had some limitations offensively with his shooting. And I think ultimately he'll need to continue to improve on that. But to still be as dominant on the floor without the shooting is in large part due to his defense. He's on a team that I don't think is a great defensive team. And yet he takes that team to another level defensively. So give young fella his flowers. Top 3 this year in defensive player of the year voting. I think of him, should be motivation. You should be trying to get that Defensive Player of the Year. And unfortunately for him, he comes in the NBA at a time that Victor Wembyama's in the NBA. It's gonna be hard to go take that. Needless to say, that has to be the goal. And that's my top 3. Wemby number 1, a long drop off. We got Chet at 2, Immanuel Thompson at 3. That's my DPOY. Rookie of the Year is one of the most interesting awards, I think. And for a lot of people, may be one of the toughest ones to pick. I don't think it's that tough to pick, but here's my list. At number 3, I got Vijay Esconce for Rookie of the Year. I think he's been consistent all year on a team that's dealt with injuries, dealt with suspensions to some of their main guys. He's been a consistent second option for them all year. And I think, you know, you talking a consistent second option as a rookie for a team that probably should have been top 6. Had some unfortunate injuries down the stretch. Joel Embiid, man, I feel so bad for Joel Embiid. You know, outta nowhere he's healthy, he's ready to go for the playoffs, and then outta nowhere, appendicitis surgery puts him down. And man, feel awful for him. But in saying that, when some guys, when guys go down, opportunities presents themselves for other people. And VJ Escomb took full advantage of the opportunity with Joel missing a lot of games, with PG missing a lot of games, and showed that he can be a bona fide number 2 option, at least in this league, on a good team. And so gotta go with VJ Escomb at number 3. At number 2, I am going with Cooper Flagg. I think Cooper Flagg had a really good year. Got off to a very slow start. He got off to a very, very slow start. Ultimately, he found his game. He picked it up. He's showing the promise of why he was the number 1 pick. Unfortunately, I don't think they did it. I don't think he did enough to overtake Kyle Konopel. I think Kyle Konopel has been consistent all year. He didn't have much of a bad stretch of the season. He didn't get off to a slow start. He's averaged over 18 points, led the NBA in 3-point shooting. It has been a key figure in turning, helping turn an organization around. You know, the Charlotte Hornets are playing in the play-in game. No one saw that coming. And it's in large part due to the emergence of Kyle Kuzma as their lottery pick last year. So he's been incredible. It's, and it's affected winning. And I know everyone say, "Oh man, Rookie of the Year is an award that goes off winning." When did winning stop mattering for anything? Basketball is about winning and losing. Yeah. So he's effective winning in a major way. And I think that has to count for something. On top of, I think he averages 3 or 4 points less than Cooper Flagg and he's winning. He's not getting the ball every play, you know? So Cooper Flagg is special. I think Cooper Flagg potential is through the roof as is Kyle Kanupolis. But I gotta go with Kyle as Rookie of the Year. I think he deserved it. I think he was the most consistent all year. And he had great moments throughout the year. He's effective winning and he's helped turn around the Charlotte Hornets when nobody thought that would happen. And I raised my hand as one of the nobodies. So that's my Rookie of the Year. Now moving to Coach of the Year. And this is a, this is a good one because the potential candidates, Joe Mazzulla, who without Jayson Tatum, uh, for, the majority of the season, kept the Boston Celtics at the top of the East, 2 seed in the East. That's gotta count for something. Lost Al Horford, lost Porzingis, lost Jrue Holiday, did not have Jayson Tatum, number 2 in the East. That's incredible. JB Bickerstaff got the Detroit Pistons Number 1 in the East. Young guys, they went through a rebuild. JB came in, took over, and continued to take those guys up. They're the number 1 team in the East. Incredible, incredible accomplishment. Mitch Johnson got the San Antonio Spurs at number 2 in the West. I don't think anyone saw that coming this fast. And yet Mitch Johnson has done an incredible job. And also you've seen that team, get better and better as the year has gone on. And then also Charles Lee, we just talked about Kyle Kanuppo and the Charlotte Hornets and the turnaround that they've had. You gotta give Charles Lee a lot of credit. He's done the job, he's done a great job. He got those guys believing, he got those guys playing well. He's found the right lineups and combinations. You have to give him a lot of credit. So like Rookie of the Year, I think this is one of the toughest ones to pick. But in saying that, I think winning has to matter. And I'm going to go with Mitch Johnson. I think Mitch Johnson as the Coach of the Year, you just, where he has this San Antonio team, following in the footsteps of Gregg Popovich, that's no easy feat. Talking one of the greatest coaches we've ever seen. And he took over and didn't miss a beat. And they've gotten better and better. And like I said, over the course of the season, they continue to improve. I think Mitch Johnson is the Coach of the Year. This is a tough one, very close race, but ultimately I think Mitch Johnson deserves the Coach of the Year. Sixth Man of the Year. The potential candidates for Sixth Man of the Year, Keldon Johnson, Jaime Jaquez, Naz Reid, Reed Shepard. I think all those guys have had really good years. However, I don't think this is a close vote. I think Keldon Johnson, Should run away with the Sixth Man of the Year. He's been the most consistent. You look at their record again, talking number 2 in the Western Conference. And when you hear their team talk, everyone talks about Keldon, how he's the steady force, how he's one of their main leaders, all the things that he does, how he shows up every day and how important that is to their team. Keldon Johnson was a player who's been in San Antonio all these years through the rebuild. Stuck with it, lost his spot, getting DMPs, battled back to become the Sixth Man of the Year. Keldon Johnson, I think, is far and away Sixth Man of the Year. Most Improved Player. Now you all know how I feel about the Most Improved Player Award. Oftentimes it goes to people that are supposed to be stars that don't quite reach the star potential, and then they become or get on that trajectory and it's like, oh, they're the most improved. Who would fall into that category right now is Jalen Duren and Deni Avila. However, Jalen Duren has improved so much, like so much. He's gotten better with the ball. He's become a better scorer. He's gotten stronger. He knows how to use his strength. It's hard to pick against him. Ryan Rollins. I think Ryan Rollins is— Draymond Green definitely has to be a candidate for most improved player. He's continued to get better. He was a second round pick to the Golden State Warriors, traded to the Wizards, cut by the Wizards, finds a home with the Bucks and gets, puts himself in position to be in a race for most improved player. What an incredible accomplishment. Laquelle Alexander Walker signs with the Atlanta Hawks in the off-season and comes out and has his best year as a pro. When I look at this list, it's effective winning, by the way. They are in the playoffs, not in the play-in, in the playoffs. He broke the Atlanta Hawks all-time 3-point record in his first year. When I look at this list and how I feel about the Most Improved Player Award and how it usually goes to a guy who's supposed to be a star and then finally starts to become it, This list feels a little bit different. Danny Avija put the work in, became an All-Star. You gotta give them their credit. But ultimately, I think Nikhil Alexander-Walker, who was also a lottery pick, is deserving of Most Improved Player. He was throw-in in trades. People gave up on him. I think he deserves the Most Improved Player Award. I think he's made the biggest jump outta anybody on this list. Ryan Rollins has also made a huge jump, but they only won 20 games this year. So it's hard to give him that award over a guy who's helped his team get to the playoffs. So, Nikkell Alexander-Walker as my sixth man. And lastly, we got the Clutch Player of the Year. Potential candidates are SGA, Jamal Murray, Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Maxey. SGA had a stretch down at, the last couple weeks of the season, including game and me, where he just gaming people over and over and over again. That's gotta count for something. Anthony Edwards seems like every time he was in a clutch situation, he knocked the shot down. Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray, both clutch players. But who did it affect the winning with the most? Because clutch, you have to win. Yeah. And ultimately gotta go with SGA as the Clutch Player of the Year as well. I think he's well deserving. I think what he's lead— in, in these situations to where a game could go left, he make it go right. And you just put the ball in his hands and he's going to do it himself. So gotta go with SGA as the Clutch Player of the Year. That's a wrap for our NBA awards. We will see what happens as these awards play out. It'll be interesting, but all defense teams, rookie teams, maybe we'll talk those next time. I'm gonna get ready for this Clipper game. Until next time, wanna thank you all again for tuning into the Draymond Green Show. We need to get a win, take it one game at a time and get in these playoffs. Till next time, deuces. If you're rocking with the Draymond Green Show, be sure to click follow on your favorite podcast app. And while you're there, go ahead and drop a 5-star rating and leave a review. I wanna hear what you think, and it would also mean a ton to me if you share it with a friend that you think would enjoy it. Let's keep this thing growing. The Draymond Green Show is presented by Audacy and executive produced in conjunction with The New Media. Our executive producers are Leah Reese Dennis, Danny Friesinger, and Greg Holtzman. Video production and creative design by Kirk Courtney, Tim Meekle, Lauren Vieira, and Evan O'Brien. Special thanks to the team at The New Media and the team at Odyssey. Maura Curran, Josephina Francis, Hillary Shuff, Eric Donnelly, Kate Rose, Colin Gaynor, and Jake Gally. Goodbye.