The race for yearly individual NBA awards is heating up across all categories. The MVP award is narrowed down to four candidates (Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James). Rookie of the Year has heated up and now has Nikola Mirotic, Elfrid Payton, and Nerlens Noel joining the favorite Andrew Wiggins. Defensive Player of the Year is another tough decision ahead. Let’s take a look at the top contenders as the year winds down.
Draymond Green
Draymond Green is still the favorite for the DPOY award. His 4.9 Defensive Win Shares leads the NBA and he has consistently proven his value at the defensive end of the floor. He has the second-best defensive rating, only behind his teammate Andrew Bogut, who might be in the running here if not for missing a large chunk of the season to injury. Green can guard the one through four on the floor, and is in the top-20 of blocks and steals per game. His all around defensive contributions are not always reflected in the box score, but that DWS number sticks out at the top of his candidacy.
Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert has come on strong in this DPOY race over the last couple of months. It's unlikely that he’s going to win, as he didn’t play a whole lot for much of the season, but his play since the trade deadline has earned him a spot on this list. He has the highest block percentage at 7.3%, and opponents are shooting a league-low 38% against him at the rim. That number is also tops in the league. Gobert and Derrick Favors have revamped Utah’s defense, but the majority of the contribution has come from “The Stifle Tower.” It’ll be interesting to see how many votes he get thanks to this late-season surge, but as of right now his gaudy numbers won’t make up for how much of the season he hasn’t dominated like this.
DeAndre Jordan
Head coach Doc Rivers famously said that if Jordan doesn’t win the DPOY award, an investigation has to happen. Given his numbers, Doc’s claim might not be entirely warranted. Jordan is certainly in the mix, and with the second-best Defensive Win Shares at 4.5, he will get a lot of votes. He also has a top-5 block percentage, and has the highest defensive rebound percentage. He may not protect the rim quite as well as Gobert, and a couple of other big men, but he certainly will be a top candidate for DPOY.
Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis has been dominant defensively as well, but his candidacy might have a fatal flaw. He has missed a lot of games because of injury. However, his numbers also paint a pretty picture in this race. He has the most blocks, highest number of blocks per game, and second best block percentage. He is in the top 20 in defensive win shares and defensive rating, and those numbers might be even higher if he wasn’t so involved offensively. However, he is dominant on both ends of the floor, so the Pelicans can’t be complaining. Unfortunately, he may not win due to the aforementioned injuries, but man is he fun to watch on the defensive end. He definitely has a few DPOY awards in his future.