NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2018-19 Defensive Player of the Year award

2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Despite missing 19 games, Joel Embiid still finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season. The reason? The Philadelphia 76ers‘ third-ranked defense was night and day based on when he was on the court.

When The Process took the floor, the Sixers posted a smoldering 99.7 defensive rating. When he sat, that figure jumped to 104.0. That difference wasn’t as big as Robert Covington’s but with Embiid averaging 11.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, he was the interior anchor for one of the league’s best defenses. At 24 years old, entering his third NBA season, he’s only going to get better on that end.

Embiid may not look particularly mobile, but he can relatively hold his own when switched onto the perimeter. With another year under his belt and chemistry growing with his young teammates, Philly’s defense might be even better in 2018-19. If that’s the case, he’ll be the one getting the votes and the attention for it.