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Defensive-minded players are usually the unsung heroes of the NBA. When it's time to pick the MVP, you rarely see players who specialize in defensive prowess make the shortlist. To emphasize that, four of the last five MVP winners were also the scoring champions for that season. But a defensive anchor can be as valuable for a team as a prolific scorer.
Houston went from losing by 40 at home in the second round in 2017 to finishing one win away from dethroning the Warriors in 2018, all thanks to the defensive abilities of their offseason acquisitions, Chris Paul and P.J. Tucker.
Boston's success despite the loss of Kyrie Irving came because of their defensive resilience, led by the responsible adult of the group, Al Horford.
Even Golden State's success, which is often attributed to their offense, is much due to their defense. Draymond's relentlessness and leadership affect the entire squad, not to mention Andre Iguodala's 2015 NBA Finals performance guarding LeBron.
Let's look at the top 5 preseason candidates for Defensive Player of the Year:
#1 Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis is not the next big thing in the NBA; he is already the biggest thing. The Pelicans' superstar took the team to the playoffs, despite losing DeMarcus Cousins to injury, averaged at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks for a fifth straight season, and led the team to an impressive first round sweep.
Despite being New Orleans' top scorer in the last five years, AD is also an amazing defensive player. Since he joined the league in 2012, the only player who blocked more shot attempts than Davis in the NBA is Serge Ibaka, with 987 to Anthony's 986. In 2015, he became the 13th player in NBA history who recorded at least 200 blocks and 100 steals in a single season, and the youngest one to do so as well.
The only thing that might stand in Davis' way to the award is, ironically, his superstar stature. AD finished third in MVP voting last season and is already one of the frontrunners for this award this season. However, only four of the 21 DPOY winners won the MVP award in their careers, and only two of them did it at the same season.
#2 Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
Andre Drummond was left out of Defensive Player of the Year conversations last year, despite leading the league in three advanced defensive statistics - defensive rating, win shares and box plus/minus. The only reason for this snub to be logical is that he and his team didn’t make the playoffs. Since the award was established in 1983, every player who won the award made the playoffs.
Nevertheless, he made a little bit of history last year when he averaged 16 rebounds per game, making him just the second player to do so since 1979. Additionally, he averaged at least 13 rebounds per game in each of his last five years and led the NBA in this category twice.
Drummond has solidified his role as one of the league's most dominant big men in the paint. He is the only active player who recorded 1000 rebounds, 100 steals and 100 blocks in more than one season. If the Pistons make the playoffs this year, nobody could ignore Drummond's defensive contributions anymore.
#3 Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
As the reigning DPOY, Rudy Gobert earns an automatic place on this list. In the 35 years that followed the award's inaugural season, the previous year's winner didn’t crack that year's top 5 just 8 times. That includes the year Alonzo Mourning missed five months due to a kidney disease, and Ron Artest's 86 game suspension in the wake of the infamous "Malice at the Palace".
But Gobert's numbers speak loud enough for him as well.
The Frenchman averaged over two blocks per game in four of his first five years in the league. He is only the second born-and-raised European to do so, together with Andrei Kirilenko. With him as Utah's starting center and arrival of coach Quin Snyder, the team became one of the best defensive teams in the league. They ranked top 2 in the NBA in opponents' points per game in each of the last four years.
As he said in his acceptance speech and later interviews, we can expect Rudy to continue his hard work and dedication this year in a perfectly fitting Jazz system.
#4 Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Joel Embiid is an unexpected phenomenon. After missing the first two years of his career in the NBA due to injury, he came out of nowhere in 2016 and took all of the spectators by storm. But beside his obvious superstar potential and offensive versatility, Embiid showed he can also be one of the best defensive stoppers in the league.
So far, in his 94-game career in the NBA, Embiid racked up 933 rebounds and 187 blocks. That is the most blocks and second-most rebounds among players who played less than 100 games in the past two years.
If Embiid will stay on track, he could also make his way into a very special group of players. In his current rebounding and blocking pace, Embiid could amass 1000 rebounds and 200 blocks by the end of his 100th NBA game. The only eight players who did it so far are all Hall of Famers, except for Tim Duncan, who has been retired for just two years, and will be eligible only in 2020.
Embiid already wants to be MVP next year, but he will surely want to win this award too.
#5 Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
Paul George has showed some impressive defensive abilities in his career, despite the setback of his nasty foot injury. In his eight-year career, George tallied over 200 blocks, 900 steals and 3000 rebounds. Out of the 16 players his size or shorter to have similar numbers in their first eight years in the NBA, George did it playing the least, totaling under 18,000 career minutes.
He had a low-key great defensive season last year, averaging two steals per game, second best in the league, and even finishing fourth in DPOY voting. Unfortunately, the odds are against him. Seven of the 21 award winners were perimeter players, and since 1989, only two did it: Gary Payton and Kawhi Leonard.
Nevertheless, another season of tough defensive effort for the 3-time All-Defensive player could help him beat those odds. OKC is coming into this season depending on their defense for success; Paul George's defensive qualities will come through strong, making his case for the award.
Guess the Lakers players!
