Hoops Habit
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 11
Next
Defensive Player Of The Year
Apr 6, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) reacts after a play during their game against the Boston Celtics at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 123-116. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Paul Millsap

Surprise, surprise! Paul Millsap is overlooked once again when the conversation of elite NBA players comes up, especially as it pertains to the defensive end. It doesn’t help that our top three contenders for this award are in another stratosphere, but Millsap is once again on the outside looking in.

From his positional versatility to his ability to switch on pick and rolls out on the perimeter, Millsap’s defensive contributions are as overlooked as the Atlanta Hawks ranking fourth in the NBA this season in defensive rating.

By this point, most people understand how truly underrated Millsap is in this league, though the outcry over his All-Star selection this year might indicate otherwise. However, if it weren’t for the next three players on this list, he’d deserve serious consideration for Defensive Player of the Year.

Dwight Howard’s arrival helped bolster Atlanta’s defense and rebounding despite Al Horford‘s departure, but once again, Millsap was the best defender on a top-five NBA defense. We need to start giving this guy more love before his prime is over.