Defensive Player of the Year: Serge Ibaka
Somebody on this roster has already won the award twice, with both victories coming in the past four years. But that somebody is a contender for an even bigger award (more on him in a minute), so we’ll give the nod here to Serge Ibaka.
Ibaka, of course, is no slouch on the defensive end of the court. He’s made three first team All-Defensive rosters, although those all came during his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s also led the NBA in blocked shots twice in his career.
Still, last year saw a bit of a resurgence on that end of the court for Ibaka. Basketball Reference pegged him for 3.0 Defensive Win Shares, his highest total since coming over to Toronto and highest total in four years.
At #57 of the TOP 60 SWATS from the 2017-18 season... @sergeibaka of the @Raptors! #NBABlockWeek #BESTofNBA pic.twitter.com/efQXILY7fk
— NBA (@NBA) August 13, 2018
He also grabbed 21 percent of available defensive rebounds, his highest mark since his rookie season a decade ago.
With the defensively challenged Greg Monroe likely to be his backup, Ibaka will have to put maximum effort into his play on the defensive end night in and night out.