Charlotte Hornets: Best candidates for 2018-19 NBA awards

Defensive Player of the Year: Bismack Biyombo

2016-17 proved to be a very good year for former Hoosier Cody Zeller. He posted a career-high 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, but then 2017-18 happened. Howard was brought in and Zeller only played in 33 games, getting just 19.0 minutes per game — the fewest since his rookie season.

As we look across the players on the Hornets this season, Zeller has competition yet again at his starting spot. Willy Hernangomez played well over a short span in 2017-18 in only a handful of games with the Hornets, and the team traded for Bismack Biyombo. Whoever wins the battle for starting center is likely the guy with a chance at the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Where Biyombo has really stood out over his career is under the rim. He’s blocked 186 shots over the last two seasons; Zeller has only blocked 232 shots in his entire career. His career defensive rating is 105 compared to Zeller’s 104, but they are still two of the best ratings on the currently constructed Hornets.

Hernangomez has a lot of upside and actually beats out both Biyombo and Zeller in rebounding percentage, but that could be partially due to his limited minutes in his short career. Biyombo has experience and has had a pretty healthy career in comparison to Cody Zeller. Biyombo also has the sixth-most blocks in the NBA over the last seven years, giving the team a rim protector the Hornets haven’t had in a while outside of Dwight Howard.

Odds: Outside chance if he is named the true starting center for the team and has a Tim Duncan-esque season.