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The 2023-24 NBA regular season concluded on Sunday, marking the end of a rather anticlimactic Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) race.
The award's frontrunner held firm throughout the season, never giving up much ground. However, one rookie added intrigue to the race over the season's second half, flashing the potential to one day dominate the conversation.
On that note, here are the top five DPOY candidates following the last day of the season.
Final 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) rankings
#5 Herbert Jones
Arguably the NBA's top perimeter defender, wing Herbert Jones played an integral role in the New Orleans Pelicans' (49-33) top-six defense (111.9 defensive rating).
The Pelicans' defensive rating improved to 111.0 with Jones on the floor, top-four territory. Meanwhile, he restricted opponents to just 44.0% shooting (-3.3%) and 30.7% shooting from 3-point range (-5.9%).
Jones did so while contesting the NBA's third-most 3s per game (3.4), averaging a combined 2.2 steals and blocks per game over 76 contests.
#4 Bam Adebayo
While not an elite shot blocker, Miami Heat star center Bam Adebayo was one of the NBA's most versatile big men defenders all season. Adebayo spearheaded the Heat's (46-36) top-five defense (111.5 defensive rating), which improved to a top-two level (109.3 defensive rating) with him on the floor.
Opponents only shot 44.1% (-5.1%), 57.9% from within six feet of the rim (-5.9%) and 33.2% from 3 (-2.5%) against the three-time All-Star. Meanwhile, he averaged a combined 2.0 steals and blocks over 71 games.
#3 Anthony Davis
The LA Lakers (47-35) may have underperformed this season, finishing 17th in defensive rating (114.8). However, superstar center Anthony Davis seemingly did all he could to keep the Lakers competitive defensively.
Davis limited opponents to only 47.3% shooting (-2.4%) and 56.4% shooting from within six feet (-7.5%). Meanwhile, he contested the NBA's third-most shots per game (11.2), ranking fourth in blocks (2.3 bpg).
However, perhaps most importantly, the nine-time All-Star appeared in a career-best 76 of 82 possible games. Thus, he finally shed the injury-prone label he became heavily associated with in recent years.
#2 Victor Wembanyama
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama put together one of the NBA's all-time most impressive defensive seasons by a rookie. After a relatively slow start, the 20-year-old took over during the season's second half, wreaking havoc on the rest of the league with his 8-foot wingspan.
Wembanyama transformed the Spurs' (22-60) 21st-placed defense (115.6 defensive rating) every time he stepped on the court. They defended at a top-five level (111.2 defensive rating) with the French phenom, falling to a bottom-eight defensive level (117.3 defensive rating) without him.
Opponents only shot 46.0% (-4.6%), 53.4% from within six feet (-11.1%) and 35.4% from 3 (-1.4%) against the rookie. Meanwhile, he led the league in blocks (3.6 bpg), averaging 1.2 bpg more than any other player over 71 appearances.
Nonetheless, according to Wembanyama, he has only reached 15% of his potential. So, if he comes anywhere close to achieving his goals, he should retire with at least a few DPOY trophies.
#1 Rudy Gobert
Minnesota Timberwolves star center Rudy Gobert proved many of his doubters wrong after allegations surfaced that he was past his prime last year. The three-time All-Star helped guide Minnesota to a top-four record (56-26) and the league's No. 1 defensive rating by a vast margin (108.4).
Minnesota's defensive rating improved to 106.6 with Gobert on the floor, as he served as an elite interior deterrent all season. Opponents shot just 43.4% (-6.3%), 49.2% from within six feet (-13.9%) and 32.9% from 3 (-2.7%) against the three-time DPOY.
Meanwhile, Gobert finished third in contested 2s (9.3) and fourth in contested shots per game (11.0), blocking the NBA's sixth-most shots (2.1 bpg) over 76 outings.
Given his individual and team success, it's difficult to envision anyone upsetting Gobert in this year's DPOY voting. Thus, he appears on the brink of receiving his record-tying fourth DPOY trophy.
Guess the Lakers players!
