Ranking the top 6 candidates for Defensive Player of the Year
By Elaine Blum
3. Brook Lopez
At 34, Brook Lopez is averaging highs all over the board for his five-year career with the Milwaukee Bucks. While the Bucks are struggling a little with Khris Middleton’s absence and Jrue Holiday’s shooting struggles, Lopez’s defense has been a game-changer for them. Last season, Lopez played only 13 games and the Bucks ranked 14th in defensive rating. Now, he has only missed one game and the Bucks are up to a top-five defense that is also much more consistent than it was last season.
When guarded by Lopez, shooters hit about 4 percent worse than they usually would or see their shot attempts swatted away by the big man. With 2.6 blocks per game, Lopez is tied with Nicolas Claxton to lead the league and recorded the most total blocks so far with 98. The fact that he is doing all this at the age of 34, which is about ten years older than most of his competition, makes this feat so much more impressive and admirable.
Teammates Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, who are both great defenders themselves, have no doubt that Lopez should win Defensive Player of the Year this season, as they told ESPN. In the latest Defensive Player of the Year ladder, Lopez was ranked first to lead the group of talented defenders in the running, while he is also making his All-Star case with good offensive production to put the cherry on top of his defense.
Lopez is a scary presence in the paint, who makes players think twice about whether they really want to try and challenge the big man at the rim, and has a solid case for the Defensive Player of the Year award. He is, however, not as versatile as some of the other candidates, which might mean that he will have to give up his first place on the ladder eventually.