Early Monday morning, San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard was named the KIA NBA 2015-16 Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY). He became the first non-center to win the award in back to back years since Dennis Rodman in did it in 1990 and 1991.
Leonard is also the first perimeter player since Sidney Moncrief (1982-84) to win the DPOY award in consecutive seasons. The small forward also joins Houston Rockets’ legend Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win a NBA Finals MVP and multiple DPOY awards.
The official twitter account of the Spurs were the first to announce the news:
Golden State Warriors’ forward Draymond Green finished second for a second year in a row while Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside came up third. Los Angeles Clippers DeAndre Jordan (4th) and Atlanta Hawks’ forward Paul Millsap (5th) rounded up the top 5.
Leonard is the best defensive player on the best defensive team in the league. The Spurs led the league in points allowed (92.9 ppg) and defensive rating (96.6 points per 100 possessions). Leonard’s defensive impact clearly shows in the difference in the team’s defensive rating when he is on and off the floor.
According to NBA, San Antonio had a defensive rating of 94.9 when he is on the court as compared to 99.2 when he is on the bench. That’s a difference of 4.3 points per 100 possessions. Leonard also averaged 1.78 steals (12th in the NBA), 5.5 defensive rebounds and a career-high .99 blocks this season.
As the numbers suggest, Leonard has been an absolute beast on the defensive end. However, the greater achievement for him this season would be the huge offensive improvement that he has shown. In 72 games the small forward averaged career highs of 21.2 points and 2.6 assists. His importance to the team is shown via the ESPN’s Player Efficiency Rating (PER). Leonard has a PER of 26.11, which is seventh best in the league.
Balloting results
Last year’s voting for the Defensive Player of the Years was a lot closer with Draymond Green missing out by just 16 points. This year, however, wasn't as close with Leonard running out as a clear winner. Here are the balloting results for the 2015-16 Defensive Player of the Year Award:
| Player | Team | 1st place votes (5 pts) | 2nd place (3 pts) | 3rd place (1pt) | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs | 84 | 41 | 4 | 547 |
| Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | 44 | 62 | 15 | 421 |
| Hassan Whiteside | Miami Heat | 2 | 12 | 37 | 83 |
| DeAndre Jordan | Los Angeles Clippers | 0 | 7 | 29 | 50 |
| Paul Millsap | Atlanta Hawks | 0 | 3 | 12 | 21 |
| Avery Bradley | Boston Celtics | 0 | 1 | 11 | 14 |
| Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz | 0 | 1 | 10 | 13 |
| Tony Allen | Memphis Grizzlies | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Anthony Davis | New Orleans Pelicans | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Andre Drummond | Detroit Pistons | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Jimmy Butler | Chicago Bulls | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Trevor Ariza | Houston Rockets | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jae Crowder | Boston Celtics | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Al Horford | Atlanta Hawks | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kyle Lowry | Toronto Raptors | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Leonard will be presented with the DPOY trophy in front of home fans before Game 2 of the first round match-up series between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Spurs. San Antonio romped to a 32 point win over Memphis, in which Leonard scored 20 points, had four blocks and three steals while grabbing two rebounds.
