This past summer, after the most trying season of his professional career, Draymond Green didn’t pick up a basketball for seven weeks.

He was exhausted, both mentally and physically. His love for the game, a constant during his rise from unheralded “tweener” to the Warriors’ emotional leader, was being tested.

Between mid-June and late July, Green thought little about basketball as he vacationed in Tel Aviv; Paris; Bordeaux, France; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and the Greek islands of Santorini and Mykonos. By the time he returned stateside, he felt rejuvenated, like he was ready to silence anyone who doubted that he was the greatest defender on the planet.

He’ll get to start showing that resolve in Golden State’s season opener Tuesday night at Oracle Arena against Oklahoma City.

Asked recently if his placement on the NBA’s All-Defensive second team last spring was because of voter ineptitude or his performance, Green asserted, “I don’t think any voter can tell me (there are) five defensive players better than me.”

Green then paused, for effect.

“I’ll wait.”

That desire to prove his critics wrong might be Green’s biggest asset. But in building a league-wide reputation as an antagonist, he has made it easy for many to forget the obvious: He is human.

Trying to play deep into June last season for the fourth straight year clearly was going to be difficult for someone who subsists on challenges. With 12 players back from its 2016-17 championship team, Golden State was the prohibitive favorite to repeat. Unlike the previous year, when the Warriors had to assimilate Kevin Durant into their system, they had no major offseason addition to help keep things from getting stale.

Early in the season, Green was dealing with a personal matter that made it even tougher for him to tap into his signature bravado on a nightly basis. In November, while speaking to a standing-room-only crowd of more than 150 students and faculty members at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, he blamed himself for Golden State’s first three losses of the season.

Though Green still keeps the specifics of the personal issue private, he has conceded that it affected his focus. At times in games, Green’s mind wandered, dwelling on what was happening at home instead of focusing on the next play.

Teammates and coaches noticed that not all was right with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He had memorable nights, but his movement was inefficient. Too often, it seemed as if Green was going through the motions, a far cry from the relentless playing style that had defined his first six NBA seasons.

“I think what people fail to realize is that, at the end of the day, you are a human being,” Green told The Chronicle. “As much as you want to keep your personal life separate from the way you perform and how you do your job every day, it’s life.

“When you walk out of that tunnel, you’re walking out of that tunnel with whatever was on your mind when you walked in. When you walk onto that floor, it’s still on your mind.”

In late January, while Green was in Salt Lake City for a game against the Jazz, ESPN published a story that painted his alma mater, Michigan State, as being lax on sexual assault, violence and gender-discrimination complaints.

The report, which came in the wake of the highly publicized sexual-abuse allegations against former Michigan State athletic physician Larry Nassar, threw Green’s beloved basketball program into upheaval. Some of the most damning accusations involved Green’s close friend and personal trainer, Travis Walton, who was an MSU senior when Green was a freshman.

ESPN reported that Walton was allowed to remain a student assistant coach under head coach Tom Izzo while facing a criminal charge for allegedly punching a female student at a bar in January 2010. That summer, another female student accused Walton and two basketball players of sexually assaulting her in April of that year, per the report.

Izzo drew heavy criticism for his handling of the Walton situation and had some calling for his job. Walton was placed on administrative leave from his position as an assistant coach with the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers and is no longer listed on their staff.

The situation at MSU took a toll on Green, who considers Izzo a father figure and counts Walton as part of his inner circle. Walton, who denies sexually assaulting anyone or punching a female student, has trained Green each of the past six summers. Walton did not face sexual-assault charges related to the 2010 allegation, and his criminal charge for the bar incident was dismissed in lieu of him pleading to a civil infraction for littering.

“Throughout everything, he was there for me whenever I needed someone to talk to,” said Walton, who spent eight weeks working out Green this offseason after Green returned from Europe. “He had my back and supported me.”

It also didn’t help that Green was dealing with nagging injuries.

Right shoulder soreness, the lingering aftermath from JaVale McGee undercutting him on a block attempt in November, bothered Green almost all season. At various points, Green dealt with a swollen elbow, knee soreness, a bruised pelvis and emergency dental surgery to correct a tooth that was knocked back on a Russell Westbrook drive.

After being the centerpiece of a top-five defense for four consecutive seasons, Green was part of the reason the Warriors slumped to 11th last season. Gone were the game-saving stops that marked his Defensive Player of the Year performances. After finishing in the top two of DPOY voting three seasons in a row, Green wasn’t considered even a serious candidate for the award in 2018.

“I am the energy for this team, that’s what I bring,” Green said. “And when that fire isn’t there, when that isn’t going, a lot of times it’s lacking from the team.

“There aren’t that many things in this world that you can actually put your finger on. I think that’s one of those things you can actually put your finger on, and it makes it tough.”

Late last month, before driving to Golden State’s practice facility for media day, Green posted seven pictures to Instagram from June of him celebrating his third NBA title. In the adjacent caption, he wrote: “I haven’t posted anything about winning the championship for ONE reason. It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. ... But it’s time to go on that journey again. So, with that said.... 2018-2019, it’s GO TIME!!!”

That night, during a team dinner at Tamarindo in Oakland, Green addressed his teammates and coaches about the upcoming season. Though those at the meal opted to keep what he said private, many left the upscale Mexican restaurant impressed with Green’s maturity.

It was a reminder of how far he has come.

Just two years ago, ESPN published a lengthy article titled “Golden State’s Draymond Green problem.” The piece rehashed many of Green’s antics, which included run-ins with head coach Steve Kerr, a Snapchat of a 118 mph drive, an infamous penis photo and an assault charge, in examining whether the forward could undermine the Warriors’ dynastic potential.

“I’m comfortable with where I am in my life,” said Green, whose Snapchat and Instagram feeds are filled with pictures and videos of his 22-month-old son, Draymond Jr. “At the end of the day, life has its challenges. Every season, every day is going to throw something different at you. ... That’s just life. You just embrace it, love it, and keep it moving.”

Added assistant coach Mike Brown, who has worked closely with Green each of the past two seasons: “He looks refreshed. He’s engaged on everything that we do. The spirit and the aura around him is very good right now.”

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron