Draymond Green finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting

Relative to the ridiculously high expectations that he’s created, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had a down year defensively.

Hampered by a few early-season injuries, Green got off to a slow start to the year, and missed some time. He wasn’t in the best condition we’ve seen from him, until down the stretch, when he lost more than 20 pounds.

Predictably, he became a world-beater in the postseason, and quickly reminded everyone that he is arguably the best defender in the world.

It seemed pretty clear that Green wasn’t going to collect his second Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Still, one voter thought otherwise.

100 media members were given ballots for Defensive Player of the Year. One of them voted for Green to win the award, while another selected the three-time All-Star for third place.

Those two votes put Green in a tie with Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard for sixth place in voting for the award, behind winner Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), and Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers).

If the award were voted on after the playoffs, instead of after the regular season, it’s safe to say Green would have moved up a few slots.