Dallas Mavericks: Best candidates for 2018-19 NBA awards

Defensive Player of the Year: DeAndre Jordan

DeAndre Jordan has garnered the reputation as one of the most feared rim-protectors in the game today.

With his height and athleticism, there aren’t many shots DJ can’t get a finger on. Coupled with five consecutive seasons of double-digit rebounds, Jordan is easily one of the best defensive big men in the NBA.

Surprisingly, DeAndre hasn’t finished top three in DPOY voting since 2015, making it difficult to imagine a world in which he all of a sudden rises above his contemporaries to claim this award.

However, Rudy Gobert took home this trophy in 2018 with a game very similar to Jordan’s, being a terror on the glass and not the guy anyone wants to see when driving to the lane.

Maybe moving to a new city will revitalize Jordan, enough to see a massive leap in Dallas’ defense. More than likely, though, we’ll see DJ gobble up almost all the rebounds while swatting shots into the stands, but it won’t be enough to be the best on defense.