Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: Top 10 Candidates For Defensive Player Of The Year Award In 2016-17

By Gerald Bourguet

November 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) shoots the basketball against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) shoots the basketball against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 11
Next
NBA
Mar 26, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) attempts to steal the ball away from Utah Jazz guard Shelvin Mack (8) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Ricky Rubio

The Minnesota Timberwolves were the NBA’s 27th ranked defense last season, so it’d take a significant leap in 2016-17 for anyone on that roster to warrant consideration for Defensive Player of the Year.

Fortunately, that’s exactly what head coach Tom Thibodeau was brought on to do. With another year under the belts of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, the future is certainly bright for Minnesota’s defense. But even with defensive rookie Kris Dunn joining the party at the point guard spot, Ricky Rubio is still this team’s best defender.

It was a crying shame Rubio didn’t earn any All-Defensive honors last season, as his play on that end of the floor continues to be overshadowed by his one glaring flaw — poor shooting — that everyone can’t stop obsessing over.

After averaging 2.1 steals per game last year, and 2.2 per game for his career, Rubio’s hounding defense is often among the elite without ever really getting the credit for it. If he can be the head of the pack for a vastly improved Timberpups defense, who knows? Maybe his value on that end of the floor will finally shine through.