Individual accolades are important in every professional sports league, but they might be even more crucial to the . Basketball, at its core, is a team sport. No matter how great a single player might be, if his supporting cast isn't up to standard, there's little chance that his team will be able to make any real noise in the postseason regardless of how well he performs. That's why major awards are vital in commemorating an individual player's achievements, irrespective of his team's overall success. Outside of Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year might be the most hotly debated race year in and year out. With the league leaning more and more towards offense each season, the onus to properly celebrate defense grows more important as well. While offenses are scoring at historic levels this year, the defensive talent in the league shouldn't be ignored. With under three weeks left in the regular season, the Defensive Player of the Year has virtually been decided. These are the current leaders in odds for the awards: Defensive Player of the Year Contenders Anthony Davis Bam Adebayo Jarrett Allen Victor Wembenyama Rudy Gobert Defended Field Goal % 47.7% 44.4% 48.8% 45.9% 43.0% Rebounds 12.5 10.7 10.7 10.4 12.9 Steals 1.2 1.1 0.7 1.3 0.6 Blocks 2.4 1.0 1.1 3.4 2.1 Defensive Net Rating +0.8 -3.7 -0.4 -8.7 -3.1 Here are the top contenders for this season's Defensive Player of the Year. It didn't even take a full season for to change the narrative surrounding him. Last season, with the failing to live up to expectations and improve upon their surprising success from the 2021-22 season after trading for Gobert, pundits and dissenters started to claim that the deal was one of the worst moves in NBA history. Rudy Gobert – Defensive Statistics Defended Field Goal % 43.0% Rebounds 12.9 Steals 0.6 Blocks 2.1 Defensive Net Rating -3.1 Gobert was still a very effective rim protector last season, despite the rhetoric spread about his decline. Despite battling through lingering injuries, he was still one of the better paint presences in the league, even with his limited mobility and having to adjust to a new roster and system. Now, though, with Gobert fully healed and having more rapport with his new teammates, he's returned to his former DPOY form and might even be better than his previous peak years. The Timberwolves are at the top of the Western Conference behind their league-leading defense, and Gobert's been at the center of all of it. He's 's overwhelming favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. It's his award to lose the remainder of the season. Victor Wembanyama is having one of the most memorable rookie seasons in NBA history, and his play on the defensive side of the ball is a big reason behind his early individual success. The 20-year-old has already compiled an impressive highlight reel of blocks, showing off his unique blend of length, mobility and
basketball IQ to embarrass opponents on a nightly basis. Wembyanama leads the NBA in blocks per game (3.4), and could end the season as the first rookie to average over three blocks per game since Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning in 1992-93. Victor Wembanyama - Defensive Statistics Category Statistics Defended Field Goal % 45.9% Rebounds 10.4 Steals 1.3 Blocks 3.4 Defensive Net Rating -8.7 Perhaps the biggest hurdle between the Frenchman and the Defensive Player of the Year award is the Spurs' lack of success on the court this season. San Antonio currently owns a 16-56 record — third-worst in the NBA — and allows the sixth-most points per game (119.3) in the Association. Wembanyama has steadily climbed these rankings and bolstered his odds for DPOY as the season has worn on, despite the Spurs' lack of team success. He might not ever overtake Gobert this year, but he should be a top-three candidate for this award every season moving forward. Victor Wembanyama already has more stocks (blocks + steals) this season than any other Defensive Player of the Year winner since 2011. Jarrett Allen started the season on the outside looking in as it pertained to the DPOY race, but the Cavaliers' recent surge has propelled the big man into contention for the award with only two months left in the campaign. Cleveland has been one of the best teams since the turn of the New Year, having garnered the fourth-most wins with 26 and owned the third-best defensive rating (111.3) in that span. Since the All-Star break, Allen has contested 308 shots, the most in the entire league. Jarrett Allen - Defensive Statistics Category Statistics Defended Field Goal % 48.8% Rebounds 10.7 Steals 0.7 Blocks 1.1 Defensive Net Rating -0.4 Despite , the Cavs have emerged as darkhorse contenders in the Eastern Conference, spearheaded by Donovan Mitchell's offensive
explosion and Allen's defensive anchoring. Bam Adebayo has a case for being the most underrated player in the NBA since he came into the league. His box score numbers aren't quite as gaudy as his fellow superstars', but his impact dwarfs that of many of his peers. This includes his defensive statistics, as well. Bam Adebayo – Defensive Statistics Defended Field Goal % 44.4% Rebounds 10.7 Steals 1.1 Blocks 1.0 Net Rating -3.7 Adebayo's commonly named as one of the best defenders in the league, based on reputation alone, but few truly understand how special he is on that end. Not only is he one of the most feared rim protectors, he's perhaps the most versatile defensive big man in the NBA. He's just as comfortable sliding along the perimeter as he is contesting a shot at the cup. That malleability has head coach Erik Spoelstra deploying him in a multitude of manners to buoy Miami's team defense. As a result, he's often not in the position necessary to put up monster rebounding and block numbers like some of his more plodding colleagues. Because of that and the Heat's penchant for underwhelming in the regular season, he probably won't get as much love for DPOY as he deserves. As has become tradition, the , behind the superstar play of and Anthony Davis, have re-entered the NBA zeitgeist by presenting themselves as dark-horse contenders in the second half of the season. James is obviously the face of the team, as he has been on every single stop in his career, but the Lakers have leaned on Davis more throughout this campaign, especially on the defensive side of the ball. L.A. doesn't have the statistical case as one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA, but no one will want to see this squad in the first round of the playoffs, and their defense led by Davis is a big reason why. Anthony Davis – Defensive Statistics Defended Field Goal % 47.7% Rebounds 12.5 Steals 1.2 Blocks 2.4 Net Rating +0.8 Davis has just re-entered the top five of the DPOY race and doesn't have a realistic chance to make up ground to win it by the end of the year. However, his place here is a fantastic reminder of the dominant two-way talent he can be, and why the Lakers need to be taken seriously. Jaren Jackson Jr. was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year last season after putting together an impressive season defending his own basket. The 24-year-old led the league in blocks with 3.0, nabbed one steal a game and a 105.0 defensive rating. Gobert, this season's betting favorite to win the award, has claimed the honor three times over the last decade, including back-to-back wins in 2018 and 2019. Past Defensive Player of the Year Winners 2022-23 Jaren Jackson Jr. 2021-22 Marcus Smart 2020-21 Rudy Gobert 2019-20 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2018-19 Rudy Gobert 2017-18 Rudy Gobert 2016-17 Draymond Green 2015-16 Kawhi Leonard 2014-15 Kawhi Leonard 2013-14 Joakim Noah