Dub Hub: Draymond Green earns NBA All-Defensive First Team honors

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Friday, May 23rd.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Draymond Green named to NBA All-Defensive First Team for the 2024-25 regular season.
• Warriors announce Moses Moody underwent surgery for a torn UCL.
• Thunder wins Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals to take an early 2-0 series lead over the Timberwolves.

The NBA announced its All-Defensive Teams for the 2024–25 regular season with Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green earning a spot on the list.

Green was named to the All-Defensive First Team, joining Dyson Daniels (Atlanta Hawks), Lu Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder), Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets), and Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) on this year’s top defensive unit. It marks the fifth time Green has earned First Team honors and his ninth All-Defensive selection overall.

At 35 years old, Green showed no signs of slowing down. He anchored Golden State’s defense throughout the season, averaging 1.5 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 6.1 rebounds per game in 68 games played—many of them as the team’s starting center.

Green finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and delivered several clutch defensive stops that helped keep the Warriors’ season alive. His presence on the floor remained a difference-maker, further solidifying his status as one of the most impactful defenders of his generation.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Friday, May 23rd:

Warriors News:

Warriors star Draymond named to 2024-25 NBA All-Defensive First Team | NBC Sports Bay Area

Green, on a per-minute basis, ranked second in contested 3-point shots, sixth in charges drawn, 10th in defensive box outs, 13th in contested 2-point shots and 15th in deflections. The eight-time All-Defensive Team member also was one of just two players with 40-plus appearances to average at least 1.45 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently labeled Green as the “heartbeat” of the Warriors, and his most recent nod perfectly embodies just that.

Warriors announce Moses Moody underwent surgery for a torn UCL

Kawakami: Steve Kerr on Kuminga, Butler, the Curry partnership, and his own future | The San Francisco Standard

“It’s a tricky one because Jonathan obviously is gifted and wants to play a bigger role and wants to play more,” Kerr said on my podcast Wednesday. “And for me, I’ve been asked to win. And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster that we have — Steph and Jimmy and Draymond — and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win. …

“All I do is I try to win. That doesn’t necessarily mean everybody’s going to be happy, whether it’s the fans, or the players, or management, whatever, it’s just I’ve gotta do what I think is best.”

Steve Kerr on relationship with Jonathan Kuminga: “JK and I have a very good relationship”

Draymond Green and Baron Davis discuss the Warriors’ biggest needs this offseason

NBA News:

What’s fueling Tyrese Haliburton’s historic NBA playoff run? | ESPN

Although Haliburton knew he wasn’t one of the headliners on a Team USA squad with some of the greatest players of his generation and the one before, he said being stuck on the bench for nearly the entire Olympic Games was an “ego check.”

He logged 26 minutes in the tournament, the fewest on the team, and did not play in either the semifinal or final. Haliburton saw the jokes online and publicly embraced them, even posting a picture of himself with his gold medal on social media with a dig at his lack of playing time.

But privately, Haliburton was grappling with the embarrassment of being benched for the first time in his career.

“I’m getting clowned. How do I respond?”

Timberwolves-Thunder: 5 takeaways as OKC’s defense ties up Minnesota for 2-0 lead | NBA

Randle went missing, not only through much of Game 2 but in the fourth quarter when he never left the bench. Perhaps this was inevitable, perhaps he was due. Seeing Randle stammer and struggle through a game is an uncommon sight in these playoffs.

Actually, make that a game and a half. Randle had a strong 20 points in the first half of Game 1 but hasn’t been the same since. He has just 14 points in the last six quarters after a tough night Thursday, when he had two field goals and four turnovers.

Full results for the 2024-25 NBA All-Defensive Team

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Steph Curry finishes 9th as SGA wins first MVP

Two of the 100 MVP voters thought Curry was the fifth-most valuable player in the NBA during the 2024-25 season, a position perhaps not backed up by his regular-season statistics but validated by his performance in the playoffs — and his team’s performance without him. Curry averaged 24.5 points, 6 assists and 4.4 rebounds while leading the league in three-pointers per game (4.4) and nearly matching his career-high with a league-leading free throw percentage of 93.3%.

A tweet to end the week:

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.