Defensive Player Of The Year Award
Playoff series can be taken over by superstars, but most of the time, NBA championships are won and lost on defense.
Of the last 30 teams to reach the NBA Finals, 25 of them ranked in the top-10 for defensive efficiency, and in that 15-year span, most of the other five were right on the cusp of that line.
Defense becomes paramount in the playoffs when possessions slow to a grind and fast breaks become harder to engineer, but even during the regular season, a team’s commitment heading into the postseason gives us an inside look at what to expect when it arrives.
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Kawhi Leonard seems to have a vice grip on the voting for this category, and rightfully so as the most imposing wing defender the league has seen since Scottie Pippen. However, strong cases can also be made for Rudy Gobert and Draymond Green, who probably should’ve won this award already in 2014-15, when he earned more first place votes and still lost.
Pick: Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
Click here to check out the rest of the top 10.