To end the first quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers — the first of a back-to-back road-home gauntlet against the Lakers and the Denver Nuggets — Draymond Green executed a series of defensive maneuvers that may have helped his case as this season’s Defensive Player of the Year,

The Golden State Warriors have finally broken out of their slump, thanks in large part to the leadership of seasoned stars like Stephen Curry. However, Draymond Green chose to highlight the impact of a rising young teammate instead of crediting the team’s veterans.

After finishing two DPOY races as runner-up to Kawhi Leonard in 2015 and 2016, Green finally earned the award by leading the NBA with 2.0 steals per game during his 2016-17 campaign for the Warriors.