Draymond Green and the Warriors are steadfast in their belief that the three-time NBA All-Star is the best defensive player in the league.
For a good portion of the 2021-22 season, Green was in the running to win his second Defensive Player of the Year award, but a back injury in January knocked him out for two months.
On Monday night, the NBA announced that Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart had been named 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year, beating out Phoenix Suns wing Mikal Bridges and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
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Green finished 10th in voting, receiving just two third-place votes (11 players received votes).
Before the Warriors played Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night at Chase Center, coach Steve Kerr was asked by NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole if the fact that Green only played in 46 games was the reason he didn't win Defensive Player of the Year.
"I think it's strictly games played," Kerr said. "I know a couple years when I was in TV, I had a vote for this stuff and games played for sure factors in. He was on course to win the award I think, for sure and then the injury unfortunately derailed that.
"Good news is he looks great out there right now and he's in a really good place. So he would rather win a game than a trophy -- and ultimately win a different kind of trophy -- but that's who Draymond is. But I know it would have meant a lot to him."
Smart played in 71 games for the Celtics, Bridges started all 82 games for the Suns and Gobert played in 66 games for the Jazz this season.
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The good news for Kerr and the Warriors is that Green might just use this latest slight as fuel for a deep playoff run. If a fourth Larry O'Brien Trophy is the consolation prize for Green not getting the DPOY award, everyone in the organization gladly will take it.