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

6. Hassan Whiteside

The Miami Heat had the league’s fifth-ranked defense despite their ho-hum 41-41 record to end the season, and if Hassan Whiteside can lead the league in blocks like he did in 2015-16, he could very well establish himself as the anchor of another elite defense.

Last year, Whiteside’s blocks plummeted from an unbelievable 3.7 per game the  down to 2.1, but that mark was still good for sixth in the NBA. He’ll need to pick that number back up if he wants to seriously enter the DPOY conversation in 2017-18, but with continuity on their side, the Heat can allow their man in the middle to focus on what he does best.

The rest of the league wised up to Whiteside’s shot-blocking prowess pretty quick, but if he can bounce back and lead another top-five defense in a resurgent season for Miami, that’d be a pretty compelling narrative for the award.