Draymond Green becomes the first player in Warriors' history to earn First Team All-Defense accolades in consecutive seasons.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been named to the 2015-16 NBA All-Defensive First Team, the league announced today. Green, who was named First Team All-Defensive in 2014-15, joins Nate Thurmond as the only Warriors to earn multiple First Team accolades in his career and is the first player in franchise history to earn All-Defensive First Team honors in back-to-back campaigns.
Green, who was the runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting for the second consecutive season, appeared in 81 games (all starts) in 2015-16 and posted career highs of 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists (seventh in the NBA). Green added 1.47 steals and 1.40 blocks and hit 100 three-pointers, one of only two players to average at least one steal, one block and one three-pointer per game, while hitting a career-best from the field (.490) and from three-point range (.388). The fourth-year forward posted a defensive rating of 97.5 (points allowed per 100 possessions) and led the league with a net rating of 18.9. A first-time NBA All-Star selection in 2015-16, Green set the franchise-record for single-season triple-doubles with 13, besting Tom Gola’s mark of nine set in 1959-60.
GSW ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM MEMBERS
As a team, the Warriors finished third in defensive rating (100.9) and second in net rating (11.6), holding opponents to 43.5 percent from the field (third-best in the NBA) and 33.2 percent from three-point range (second). Golden State led the league in point differential (+10.8) for the second consecutive season.
Green helped lead the Warriors to an NBA-record 73 wins in 2015-16 (73-9, .890), eclipsing the previous mark of 72 wins set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. The Warriors saw a six-game improvement in the win column in 2015-16 and joined the Bulls as the only teams in NBA history to earn at least 65 wins in consecutive campaigns.
Players were awarded two points for each First Team vote and one point for each Second Team vote. Voters were asked to select two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position they play regularly.
Below are the balloting results for the 2015-16 NBA All-Defensive Teams. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.
2015-16 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM
2015-16 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM