Meet Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, the NBA’s Hustle Award winner for the 2024-25 season. This accomplishment cements his reputation as the best player in the league. He ranked first among 143 eligible players, demonstrating exceptional performance and dedication on the court. The award recognizes players who exhibit relentless effort, and Green’s achievements have set a high standard.
Players needed to appear in a minimum of 58 games to be eligible for the Hustle Award. On top of all that, they had to average at least 24 minutes a game! Green’s success was judged on a per-minute basis, making it an even playing field for all participants. Notably, he excelled in multiple areas, ranking among the top 15 in five vital defensive categories: charges drawn, deflections, contested two-pointers, contested three-pointers, and defensive box outs.
Green proves he’s amazing versatility once again by pulling off an astonishing trip. He became the first player in NBA history to finish top 40 in all nine categories the Hustle Award is given for. You make a special stat sheet, listing things like charges taken and deflections. Next, you track screen assists, contested two-point and three-point field goal attempts, offensive and defensive loose balls recovered and box outs.
Green is fresh off receiving one of our country’s highest honors. His stellar resume includes a Defensive Player of the Year award, which means he’s just the second player in history to win both accolades in his career. The first was Marcus Smart. Representing the Chicago Bulls last season, Alex Caruso was the rightful winner of the Hustle Award. Not surprisingly, he joined the elite class of past winners to include the likes of Thaddeus Young, Montrezl Harrell, Amir Johnson and Patrick Beverley.
Green ended up coming in second to Dyson Daniels in this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award vote. He was behind Evan Mobley on the depth chart. Despite that, he proved to be one of the more important players on his own team, helping lead the Warriors to one of the league’s best defenses.
Rounding out the voting behind Green for the Hustle Award were Cason Wallace, Guerschon Yabusele, Luguentz Dort and Dyson Daniels. All four of these players had great seasons, but they didn’t reach the heights that Green had this year.
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