NBA
Defensive Player Of The Year Watch
About two weeks into the NBA season, there have been plenty of players who have made their mark defensively. Some of the faces have been familiar, but the others are stepping their games up.
Otto Porter Jr. is leading the league in steals per game. Rookie forwards Jonathan Isaac and O.G. Anunoby are causing opponents trouble with their length. Backups such as Kyle OโQuinn, Lucas Nogueira, and Josh Huestis have done a tremendous job making their presences felt.
Itโs obviously too early to pick an actual winner for the Defensive Player of the Year award, but there are some names to keep an eye on throughout the year that have a legitimate chance at contending for it.
Hereโs a list of six players who are in the picture as of now.
6) Draymond Green
The reigning Defensive Player of The Year has to be on this list, right?
Greenโs impact on the Golden State Warriors on both ends is well known. His ability to get stops game-in and game-out is what makes his presence so valuable for them. If you want evidence, go back and see what happened on opening night against the Houston Rockets.
At the tail end of the third quarter, the Warriors were ahead 101-88 when Green suffered a knee strain and had to exit. Houston outscored Golden State 34-20 in the fourth and spoiled one for the home team at Oracle Arena.
Itโs one of eight games, but it shows what he means to his squad. Statistically, heโs still averaging a block and a steal per game despite not having the best defensive rating early on.
5) Kevin Durant
Green has plenty of competition in defending his honor, including on his own team.
Weโre all aware of how great Durant is with the ball in his hands, but in the last couple of years, heโs truly been a menace on the other side of the floor. Heโs got the length and reach to pester every player he guards, which usually results in an errant pass or an ill-advised shot attempt.
Allowing 106.3 points per 100 possessions, Golden State hasnโt hung their hat defensively as much as usual so far. But when Durant has been off the floor, theyโve given up a team-high 112.6 points using the same scale. Among starters, heโs the only one that statistically betters the Warriorsโ overall defensive rating while on the court.
Durant ranks second in the NBA in blocks per game (2.4) and has contested the fourth-most amount of shots (107) to this point. If this keeps up, he could have another accolade to add to his collection.
4) Al-Farouq Aminu
As one of the more surprising defensively sound teams in the NBA, the Portland Trail Blazers are off to a good start. They rank ninth in defensive rating (100.3), fifth in opponent three-point field goal percentage (32.1) and fourth in opponent fast break points per game (7.7).
A vital reason for their success is the outstanding play of Aminu. With a wingspan stretching to almost seven feet and three inches, the veteran forward has length and size that bothers every player he faces. Heโs able to guard one through four and that versatility is huge for Terry Stotts, especially in todayโs type of league.
Through eight games, the veteran forward is averaging 1.3 blocks and nearly a steal per game. In those, Aminu is seeing over five attempts per game against him coming six feet or lessโonly 46.3 percent of those shots have been successful.
Without Aminu on the floor, Portland suffers significantly, allowing up 15.4 more points per 100 possessions and a team-high defensive rating of 108.9. Unfortunately for them, theyโre going to have to figure out how to survive on that end without him for a couple of weeks, because he just went down with an ankle sprain.
3) Al Horford
With brand new pieces and a slew of young talent leading the charge, the Boston Celtics are one of the top defensive teams in basketball.
Collectively, Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Horford have done an excellent job of forcing their opponents to take tough shots and havenโt budged on individual challenges.
Horford has arguably been the most important piece of this puzzle. As the most experienced player of the bunch, his leadership on the floor and impact defensively is translating to the rest of the team.
Averaging close to a block and a steal per game, Horford is making an all-around difference on that end. Heโs tied for the fifth-most contested shots in the NBA with 99 and has prioritized crashing the glass with more aggressiveness to make sure nobody gets extra opportunities.
Without Horford, the Celticsโ defensive rating skyrockets to 105.4 as opposed to 90 when heโs playing. The discrepancy is by far the highest on the team, which is why he deserves more credit than heโs gotten.
2) DeMarcus Cousins
Itโs been a treat to watch Boogie go to work this season. Over the summer he slimmed down and worked on getting in better shape. Youโre seeing the results of that in front of your very eyes.
Letโs just forget the dominance as a scoring threat and his strength as a whole. Letโs not focus on the ridiculous ball-handling skills for a man his size. Instead, how about we dive into the season heโs having as a lockdown defender?
The New Orleans Pelicans are not the best in that department. Aside from Cousins and Anthony Davis being the twin towers underneath, they donโt have much size to stop the outside threats. They run a three-guard setโin which Jrue Holiday is absolutely paramountโthat is often a mismatch most opponents take advantage of.
Bigs are then forced to take the one-on-one challenge often with players that are quicker than them. Cousins has accepted that challenge and is passing the test with flying colors.
In protecting the paint, Cousins is not only contesting these shots, but heโs picking his opponentsโ pockets at the same time. Heโs stolen the ball 17 times, which is tied with Andre Drummond for most in the league among big men.
According to NBA.com, only 46.9 percent of attempts against Cousins in the paint are successful. Ranking among players that have seen at least 40 such shots this season, that is the lowest conversion percentage in the league. Oh, and heโs also swatted 18 of those.
In the early going, Cousins is the lone player in the NBA who is averaging two steals and two blocks per game. As far as the leagueโs concerned, heโs playing like an MVP candidate right now. Davis is usually the one who gets the rightful attention as a defensive threat, but currently, itโs Boogieโs world in The Big Easy.
1) Rudy Gobert
Last year was so close. It was a neck-and-neck battle with Green through the entire season for the NBAโs most prestigious award as a defender. After just missing out on the honor in 2016-17, itโs Gobertโs time to shine.
When Gordon Hayward signed with the Celtics, many believed the Utah Jazz would have trouble staying afloat in an upgraded and heavily crowded Western Conference. Losing the scoring and effort on both ends of the floor was a huge blow.
But Gobert has continued to lead this team as not only an efficient scorer inside but also as the most intimidating interior defender in the NBA. Itโs no surprise considering how dominant heโs been for the past few years, but he is constantly getting better with each season.
According to Basketball-Reference, Gobert ranks first in defensive win shares (0.7) and second in the NBA in defensive box plus-minus (5.8). Among starters and players averaging over 30 minutes per game, heโs at the top of the DBPM list.
Heโs denying everything in sight as per usual, leading the league in blocks with 23 in eight games. Thatโs the highest average (2.9 per game) in the game. Because of Gobertโs presence down low, the Jazz are allowing 37.5 points in the paint per game, which is the third-least in the league.
The 7-foot-1 Frenchmanโs leadership has Utah only allowing 96.3 points per 100 possessions as a team. Itโs good for the third-best defensive rating in the NBA. Theyโve held their opponents to a 43.2 field goal percentage as well.
The numbers tell the story, but Gobertโs influence on this Jazz ball club goes beyond the box score. If he keeps this upโand his reputation wouldnโt indicate anything otherwiseโthe Jazz could be in a position to make the postseason for the second straight year.