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2016-17 NBA Awards Season: Top 10 Defensive Player Of The Year Candidates

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 10, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) passes the ball out against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) passes the ball out against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Defensive Player Of The Year
Dec 7, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) steals the ball from Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. (7) in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Patrick Beverley

With the Houston Rockets ranked 18th in defensive rating, this is probably as high as we can justify ranking Patrick Beverley. But there’s no question the Rockets are a different animal on the defensive end when Beverley is healthy and swarming opposing point guards.

Houston was only 0.8 points per 100 possessions stingier on the defensive end with Beverley on the floor, but the numbers are a bit noisy since he missed 15 games and since the team’s defense is a bit porous no matter who’s on the floor.

However, there’s no question Beverley is one of the NBA’s best defensive point guards, and he’s more than deserving of the NBA’s All-Defensive Team this year. His 1.5 steals per game ranked him in the top 20 in the league, but once again, Beverley’s impact on that end of the floor can’t quite be captured in the stat column.

From covering for James Harden‘s deficiencies to his tenacious on-ball defense at one of the league’s hardest positions to defend, Beverley is an intrinsic part of Houston’s success this season. The focus may be on the Rockets’ high-powered offense, and rightfully so, but they’ll need Beverley’s defensive contributions if they want to make a deep playoff run.