Phoenix Suns: Best candidates for 2018-19 NBA awards

Defensive Player of the Year: Deandre Ayton

First things first: Trevor Ariza, Josh Jackson and Mikal Bridges are all better defenders than Deandre Ayton, who has a snowball’s chance in hell of actually winning the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018-19. The biggest question mark about Ayton’s ceiling is whether he can be a competent defender after underwhelming on that end at Arizona. Throw in your typical rookie struggles and this just isn’t going to happen.

Contrary to what his 1.9 blocks per game would lead you to believe, his steal and block rates in college were underwhelming for a player with his size, speed and length. Small-ball mismatches are going to try to exploit him when he’s switched onto the perimeter out of pick-and-rolls, and he’s going to be have to be better in nearly every facet of his defensive game.

HOWEVER, this award has generally skewed toward proficient shot-blockers, and Ayton has the physical tools to at least be relevant in this regard. The Suns have nowhere to go but up after ranking 30th in defensive rating last year, and though wing defenders like Ariza, Bridges and Jackson would be the catalysts behind any significant improvement on that end, good rim protecting numbers from the No. 1 overall draft pick would soak up a majority of the credit.

Ariza will set the tone, but has never been a legitimate DPOY candidate and it’s unlikely that changes in his 15th season. Bridges and Jackson will be coming off the bench, so as much as Ayton is never going to win Defensive Player of the Year, he’s got more of a puncher’s chance than anyone else on this roster.

Odds: Same as the odds of this writer eloping with Emma Watson.