Former NBA players states Mobley, not Draymond, deserves DPOY originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Former NBA player Chandler Parsons believes that Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley should win the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year over Draymond Green.

Parsons gave his thoughts in response to Mobley’s claim on a recent podcast that he should win the award given to the NBA’s best defensive player.

“I agree [on Mobley winning DPOY],” Parsons said to host Michelle Beadle and former NBA player Lou Williams on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” on Thursday. “I think Draymond Green is fantastic. I think he’s versatile. He provides so much for that defense, and I think they’re the seventh-ranked defense. I think Cleveland is the eighth-best defense.

“But you look at the whole landscape of what Evan Mobley does, how he alters shots, how he rebounds the basketball. The jump that he’s made [this season]. There’s also an argument for all of these guards who have had great years. Like [Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lugentz] Dort, like [Atlanta Hawks guard] Dyson Daniels, and they don’t get the attention that they should.”

Evan Mobley deserves DPOY over Draymond Green, says Chandler Parsons 🗣️

Lou Williams thinks Dyson Daniels should win the award 👀@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsonspic.twitter.com/CqPFAOWMlL

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 10, 2025

While Green is the engine powering the Warriors’ resurgent defense this season, Mobley has been otherworldly for the Cavaliers. With a stunning blend of size and athleticism, the 23-year-old has become one of the league’s elite defenders.

Green is no slouch, but he has struggled with consistency throughout the season, particularly when he’s forced to guard larger players around the rim.

With Cleveland on cruise control, having locked up the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed, the final two games of the regular season could go a long way towards Green boosting his stock. The Warriors are in win-now mode, needing victories in their final pair of games to avoid dropping into the NBA Play-in Tournament.

So, you can expect that Green will have an extra chip on his shoulder heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

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NBA analyst Chandler Parsons thinks Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley should win Defensive Player of the Year over Draymond Green.