Defensive Player of the Year: Hassan Whiteside
Hassan Whiteside experienced quite the fall from grace last season to the point where he played just 15.4 minutes a night in Miami’s first-round defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers.
His game may not be a great fit with the trends of the modern NBA, but people quickly forget how dominant of a force this man was on the defensive end.
In order to have a chance at the DPOY, Whiteside needs to focus on what he does best, and that’s rebounding and interior defense.
Standing at a massive 7’0” and weighing 265 pounds, he is as intimidating an inside presence as there is in the league. Just a few years back he led the league in blocks per game with an absurd 3.7.
Understandably so, Whiteside believes he can be a low-post presence on offense. Such a claim is debatable, but we know what he can do on the other end, and if he puts all of his energy into that side it can pay off nicely come award season.