Who is the worst player to win each of the major NBA Awards?

By Rahul Raja | Jan 27, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 09: Andre Iguodala #9 of the Golden State Warriors looks to drive on Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter at Chase Center on January 09, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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SALT LAKE CITY – 1989: Mark Eaton #53 of the Utah Jazz stands next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 of the Los Angeles Lakers during an NBA game at The Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1989, Who is the worst player to win each of the major NBA Awards?. (Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images) /

Who is the worst player to win each of the major NBA Awards?: Defensive Player of the Year award – Mark Eaton (1989)

The Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award is one of the hardest to issue. Outside of the eye test, there aren’t many ways to qualify as a good defender. The advanced stats concerning defense that are common today aren’t always reliable, and they certainly weren’t available in 1989.

For those who couldn’t tell from the picture above, Mark Eaton was big. At 7-4, he was one of the biggest people to ever play in the NBA. During the late 1980s, he was a key piece on the Utah Jazz; known for his shot-blocking prowess, he led the league in that stat four times (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988).

However, in 1989, the best defensive player in the league was Hakeem Olajuwon, who wouldn’t make either of the two All-Defense teams that season.

Not only did he lead the league in rebounds, but he averaged a whopping 2.6 steals and 3.4 blocks as a center. To put that into perspective, last season, Jimmy Butler led the league in steals with 2.1 and Myles Turner led in blocks with 3.4.

A big part of why Eaton won the award was because the Jazz held teams to 99.7 PPG that season, which ranked first in the league and they were the only team below 100.

The Rockets were seventh, holding their opponents to 107.5 PPG. It’s important to remember that the Jazz also had Karl Malone and John Stockton, while Hakeem didn’t really have anyone else with him on the Houston Rockets at the time.