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Every sports league in the world goes through transition stages during its history, and the NBA might just be slowly entering a change-of-the-guard phase right now. Many young, talented players are performing brilliantly in the 2021 NBA Playoffs and the future of the league looks bright with the emergence of these new stars.
5 Young players in the NBA who can become Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award winners
In a lot of areas, the new generation of NBA players is starting to take over. We are seeing Luka Doncic perform at a unique level in the 2021 NBA Playoffs for the Dallas Mavericks, while a young star like Devin Booker is also doing a tremendous job for his team against a top-tier rival.
In this article, we will look at the defensive side of the court to analyze some of the future defenders who will be dominant in the NBA.
Here, we will give you five young NBA players who have a shot at becoming NBA Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award winners in the short term.
Among the three finalists for the 2020-21 DPOY award, we have fourth-year player Ben Simmons, alongside Rudy Gobert and Draymond Green. Simmons, 24, is not the favorite to take home the award, but he is part of a young group of players who can be dominant defensively in the coming years.
Without further ado, let us look at five likely winners of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in the future.
#5 Matisse Thybulle
Philadelphia 76ers' Matisse Thybulle is already a dominant defender on the perimeter, and in a team with several great defenders, Thybulle is arguably the most efficient force on that side of the ball.
Though him not being a starter so far might hurt his DPOY chances in the upcoming seasons, Thybulle's defense can be helpful in the future and propel him to a starting role.
Thybulle led the second-best defensive unit in the league in steals per game (1.6, tied with Ben Simmons) and was second on the team in blocks per game (1.1, only behind Joel Embiid's 1.4).
While only playing 20 minutes per game, Thybulle led the Sixers in steals and blocks, which is a really impressive feat for the 24-year-old player. He also led the team in Defensive Rating.
#4 Robert Williams
The Boston Celtics might have a defensive gem in 23-year-old Robert Williams. Though he has not been a starter for the Celtics since entering the NBA in 2018, Williams has already shown glimpses of what he is capable of on the defensive side of the basketball court.
This year, Williams played in 52 games (13 starts) and he managed to show his immense ability to protect the rim, with 1.8 blocks per game and 91 total blocks (both were team highs).
Williams also had the best Defensive Rating on the Celtics' roster, but he did not qualify among the league leaders. Recently, in the Celtics' first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, Williams put in a tremendous performance in Game 1, with nine blocks in only 22 minutes against arguably the greatest offense ever seen in the NBA.
#3 Myles Turner
Myles Turner has been in the NBA since the 2015-16 season, and he has certainly earned a place among the league's elite shot-blockers and rim-protectors with his tenacity on the defensive end and his great timing in swatting shots away.
At 25 years of age, Turner has already led the NBA in blocks per game twice in his career and will continue to be in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation for several years.
He averages 2.2 blocks per game in his career, and led the NBA this year with 3.4 blocks a night. Turner also finished in the top 15 in Defensive Rating for the entire NBA this year.
#2 Ben Simmons
Though he is already known as a tremendous defender and his physical tools on the defensive end go tremendously well with his alertness, Ben Simmons is surely one of the most promising defenders in the NBA.
Simmons was named one of the three finalists to win the 2020-21 NBA DPOY, but it is unlikely that he will be able to beat Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert. Still, the 24-year-old Australian has a long way to go in the league and his defensive tools will turn him into a perennial DPOY candidate going forward.
Simmons was fifth in the NBA this year in Defensive Rating and was in the top 10 in both Defensive Win Shares and Defensive Box Plus/Minus.
#1 Bam Adebayo
One name missing from the three NBA DPOY finalists was that of Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, who is surely one of the NBA's best defenders and is also a highly versatile athlete on the defensive end.
Adebayo can keep up with the best inside scorers in the league, while also having enough speed to stay in front of some elite perimeter scorers. At 23 years of age, Adebayo might become the proud winner of a couple pof Defensive Player of the Year awards, and he could establish himself as a brilliant dominant defender in the NBA.
In the 2020-21 NBA season, Adebayo was in the top 10 in the entire league in Defensive Win Shares and Defensive Box Plus/Minus. He was also in the top 15 in Defensive Rating, while averaging a steal and a block per game this year.
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