NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2017-18 Defensive Player of the Year

8. Giannis Antetokounmpo

This one’s a bit out of left field, but with Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s length, he could easily reach from left field to right field in one or two of his gargantuan strides. This mismanaged metaphor perfectly encapsulates the Greek Freak’s case for DPOY: Dude is unbelievably long, racks up steals and blocks, and is becoming a terrifying force on both ends of the floor.

Perimeter shooting is the next step for Giannis’ growth into a perennial MVP candidate, but in 2017-18, a more attainable, short-term goal might be becoming more of a lockdown defender. He can already guard multiple positions, and averaged 8.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.6 steals per game last year — making him the only player in the league to average those numbers.

This 22-year-old is clearly onto something, but if he can really take that next step toward being an elite defender and terrorize opponents with his length at multiple positions, the Milwaukee Bucks‘ 19th-ranked defense from last year stands to benefit…as does his DPOY case.