nba defensive player of the year list 2022

The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 198283 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. There is always going to be someone who feels slighted or a player who fans feel was cruelly left off, but that's the way it goes with voting. MORE: TSN's Stephen Noh breaks down his unofficial All-NBA ballot. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA. December 12: Brook Lopez (+102) has taken over as the 2023 DPOY betting favorite with Anunoby (+500) a distant second. And only the ninth of what would be 24 winners (across 40 years) who didnt play primarily in or near the paint. Predicting the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. TNT will announce the winner of each award during its coverage of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. April 12, 2022 8:43 AM. Gary . The NBA leader in blocks climbs to the top in the latest ranking of the league's best defenders. Gobert defends the most attempted . 1985-86 Alvin Robertson, San Antonio Spurs The Jazz's Rudy Gobert, who has won three of the last five Defensive Player of the Year awards, was also a finalist again this year. Hes already played in 53 this year, so availability shouldnt count against him this season when ballots are submitted. The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. 2003-04 Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers On the team with the No. Atlanta plays its next two games at Miami, the first Saturday and the rematch Monday. AP Player of the Year Award; John . He earned his way into the race and persuaded a slight majority of voters to list him first or second on their ballots and more to put him third. The frontrunner for the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award is three-time winner Rudy Gobert. He probably won't end up being an All-Star this year, but it looks like he's going to have plenty of chances to make it in the future. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Predictions Odds, Pick 2023 Evan Mobley improved to +700 and now sits third. 1993-94 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets Morrow reportedly had been in a relationship with the victim. Giannis Antetokounmpo's all-around defensive impact powers him to No. Smart received 257 points (37 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Yet, Smart is the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. The Grizzlies big man has played in 39 of 56 games, the fewest among the favorites to win the award. Suns/Grizzlies8:00 PM ET, NBA TV pic.twitter.com/0bR5k8FvFl. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Just happy to be able to do get this award with our team and my brothers on the team. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Each First Team vote is scored as two points, while each Second Team vote is worth only one point. While he hasnt played as much as his competition, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. is a heavy favorite to be the leagues top defender. Sixth Man of the Year. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. Nobody else did that. Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. The way the game is changing, the guards are being more recognized for their abilities to do certain things that we shouldnt be able to do at our size. 1, 5 takeaways from wild Celtics-Nets opener, Report: Grizzlies' Clarke suffers season-ending injury, Ja will be away from team for 'at least' 2 games, Ex-NBA player Morrow facing assault charges, Durant passes 'Big O' for 13th in career points, NBA Fantasy: Under-the-radar additions for playoffs, Magic's Isaac (torn adductor) out for rest of season, Kia Defensive Player of the Year: Marcus Smart, NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winners. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Complete ballots for each voter will be posted at PR.NBA.com after the announcement of all end-of-season awards. The Orlando forward played only 11 games this season after missing two years with a torn ACL. By Kurt Helin Oct 13, 2021, 1:03 PM EDT. Claxton was one of his teams only defensive stoppers until Brooklyn made multiple moves at the trade deadline, swapping out Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for a slew of wing defenders, including 2022 DPOY runnerup Mikal Bridges. The anchor of Milwaukee's defense moves past Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr. for the top spot. Official release. Utah Jazz center and three-time Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert finished in third place with 136 points (12 first-place votes). The No.5 spot in our NBA Defensive Player of the Year power rankings has been up for . Despite a conspiracy theory regarding perceived discrepancies in Jacksons home/away statistical splits (which has since been debunked), his case for the recently renamed Hakeem Olajuwon award is very real. Nearly two-thirds of Defensive Player of the Year voters thought Celtics guard Marcus Smart didnt deserve the award. 0 Comments. Winner: Jaren Jackson Jr. (11) Jackson now sits at 14-1 at BetMGM, 11-1 at DraftKings Sportsbook and an even shorter 6-1 at PointsBet. He said, in part, that Anthony denies these allegations.. 1 points for every third-place vote. Randle was 16 of 25 from the floor, including 8 of 13 from 3-point range. He also has a defensive win share rating of 0.137 (Top 25 in the league) #1. According to a warrant for Morrow's arrest, he's facing charges of assault by strangulation, second-degree kidnapping and communicating threats. He played his college ball at Georgia Tech, was undrafted but went on to spend nine seasons in the NBA playing for the Warriors, Nets, Hawks, Mavericks, Pelicans, Thunder and Bulls. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call the National Council for Problem Gambling 1-800-522-4700. In a fitting conclusion to this contentious race, a whopping seven players received first-place votes. Antetokounmpos advanced defensive stats are essentially all in the top 10: Defensive rating, defensive win shares, you name it. Whereas the Defensive Player of the Year is voted on by the media, the All-Defensive teams were voted on by NBA coaches prior to 2014.[14][15]. 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rankings - LHStoday Sports. Sports. 2005-06 Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons TNT will announce the winner of each award during its coverage of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. That player is, of course, veteran Celtics point guard Marcus Smart (257 votes), who won the 2021-22 Kia NBA Defensive Player of . 8 Atlanta trimmed to a half-game after the Hawks beat Portland. The two pillars of Clevelands league-best defense, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, are next in line, though Mobley, the second-year pro, has slightly better odds than his veteran counterpart in the frontcourt. Jackson also averages one steal per game, has improved his rebounding average to a career-best 6.6 boards per game and has crucially reduced the number of fouls he commits. NEW YORK Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been named the 2021-22 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the NBA announced today. 121. A lot of the candidates are big men, which isn't unusual given their ability to lock up the paint and prevent easy baskets from being converted at the rim. 2012-13 Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies Rudy Gobert becomes the fourth player to earn at least three Defensive Player of the Year honors. Take a look back at every Kia Defensive Player of the Year award winner in NBA history. Still, his defensive resume has him well ahead of the field with -200 odds. Only Utahs massive Mark Eaton (7-foot-4, 275) got in there twice with the likes of Michael Jordan, Michael Cooper, Alvin Robertson and Sidney Moncrief, who won the first two DPOYs in 1983 and 1984. At just 37%, Smart has the lowest share of first-place votes by the winner of one of the NBA's five major player awards since 2015. The Warriors' versatile forward holds the top spot in this month's ranking of the NBA's best defenders. But in third place rather than fourth, Gobert got the distinction of finalist.. 2017-18 Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Voting) The players at those positions with the second-highest point totals are then put on the Second Team. 20 different NBA media members from around the country participated in a mock voting process conducted by SI Fastbreak for this years NBA awards. These guards are shooting off ball screens, they get isos with the offense spaced out and a lot of shooters on the court. Lopez anchors Milwaukees stout defense, which is one of two units that rank ahead of the Grizzlies by defensive rating. This season, Smart averaged 12.1 points, a career-high 5.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game. The Jazz center takes over the No. A special bonus episode of the Over & Back Classic NBA Podcast talking about the life and career of Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton who tragically passed away this weekend. Denver's big man narrowly edges Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo in what will likely end up as one of the closest MVP races in history. Bam Adebayo, whose exclusion as a finalist sparked griping in Miami, got more first-place votes than Gobert. . Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. November 13: Giannis (+295) is now the 2023 NBA DPOY betting favorite with Gobert fading to +538. NBA awards predictions at halfway point: MVP, Rookie of the Year Looking at the media polling above, the Top-4 in voting points was exactly the same as the real results for the award, but fifth-place above went to Giannis Antetokounmpo, where in the actual voting it went to Jaren Jackson Jr. When we dont guard, Adebayo said. As a team, Brooklyn ranks 14th in defensive rating, though Claxton is ninth individually and 10th in defensive win shares. Giannis Antetokounmpo +2500. Against the likes of Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, James Harden, LeBron James, DeMar DeRozan and so on. December 13, 2022 9:12 am CT. Breaking the news of All-Star Andre Drummond signing with the Lakers in 2021, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Friday night in Miami.. Six different players received at least one first-place vote in SI Fastbreak's polling and while Marcus Smart came out on top, this was a really hard award to decipher simply because of the impact all of these players have on defense. 10 pick in 2018. 1983-84 Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks He had 19 games with three or more steals, including two games with a season-high five steals. Smart is also the second player to win the award with the @celtics, joining Kevin Garnett (2007-08). Free agent center Nerlens Noel is signing a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, his agent @GeorgeLangberg tells ESPN. Hopefully we will see a healthy Isaac back in a Magic uniform when training camp opens next fall. A year-by-year list of theKia Defensive Player of the Year Awardwinners: 2021-22 Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics (Voting), 2020-21 Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Voting), 2019-20 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Voting), 2018-19 Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Voting), 2017-18 Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Voting), 2016-17 Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (Voting), 2015-16 Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (Voting), 2014-15 Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs, 2011-12 Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks, 2000-01 Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia 76ers, 1995-96 Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics, 1994-95 Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets, 1993-94 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets, 1992-93 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets, 1991-92 David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs, 1986-87 Michael Cooper, Los Angeles Lakers, 1985-86 Alvin Robertson, San Antonio Spurs, 1983-84 Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks, 1982-83 Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks. Bridges approach, like other ball hawkers, isnt to swat, alter or reclaim a shot once the offensive player unleashes it. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. New York led 71-56 at the half, after another first two quarters of Miami being unable to get stops. Terms and conditions affecting the bonus offers available to you vary by location. 2001-02 Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons A year-by-year list of the Kia Defensive Player of the Year Award winners: 2021-22 Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics ( Voting) 2020-21 Rudy . Yet, Smart is the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. I think this award and me winning it shows that and the path for us guards now and in the future.. YOUR 2022, BACK-TO-BACK . A player is included in either the First or Second Team lineup, with each team consisting of two guards, two forwards and a center. Marcus Smart is the first guard to be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year since Gary Payton in the 1995-96 season. Those two players finished quite close in voting. Greg Willard Spirit Award; NCAA Season Awards. Bridges did it all without drawing cheap whistles he averaged only 1.8 fouls. Deposit method, withdrawal restrictions and full T&Cs apply. That made Gobert who won Defensive Player of the Year three of the last four years an especially stale candidate (but still my pick). An eight-year NBA veteran, Smart has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team twice (2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons). The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. And his offensive development career highs of 14.2 points on 10.5 shots meant he wasnt letting his man rest on the other end. Though bigs tend to make larger defensive impacts, some voters longed for another perimeter player to claim the award. There have been plenty of fascinating storylines throughout the season. Rather, its to deny the ball entirely to his man, eat up the shot clock, and force a pass or a hurried, inferior shot, all without fouling. 3 points for every second-place vote. Three different positions equate to three different roles, which is why Defensive Player of the Year will always have question marks surrounding it, especially since all of the finalists make All-Defensive First Team anyways. Phoenix's ironman leads Rudy Gobert and Marcus Smart in the final ranking of the NBA's best defenders. 2011-12 Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks The Long Two NBA Awards, Part II: Defensive Player of the Year - FanSided 2010-11 Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic Payton was at the Celtics' practice facility to deliver the award to Smart. The 34-year-old is averaging 2.4 blocks, 0.5 steals, and 4.6 defensive rebounds per game. BETTING ON THE NBA DPOY. After being traded from the Utah Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves, he is sure to want to put in a strong debut season. While Milwaukee's defensive rating is 109, Antetokounmpo's is 107.2. 1 spot as both players hope to solidify their case for the award this week. For the first time since Boston Celtics alumnus Gary Payton, Sr. won the award in 1996, a guard has been named the league's 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. If you did that play 100 times 99 times out of that, its going to end up in our favor, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. The Boston Celtics were one of the top defensive teams during the regular season this year and as a result, it makes sense that their best defender in Marcus Smart would be named this years recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year award. 1, Defensive Player Ladder: Gobert finishes at No. Lopez's consistency on the defensive end is paying off, as he climbed the list this past week, threatening Jackson Jr. for the DPOY award. The former Jazz now Timberwolves big man won Defensive Player of the Year in 2018, 2019 and 2021. selected NBA All-Defensive First Team for the sixth consecutive season and earned his third All-Star selection. Marcus Smart became the first guard to win Defensive Player of the Year this century when voters selected him as the 2021-22 recipient over Mikal Bridges and Rudy Gobert. He shares credit with Lopez for what the Bucks do on defense, but his career-best offensive season is rightfully getting more attention than his efforts on the other side of the ball. There's still value in a good defensive stalwart, even in today's high-scoring NBA. [5] Sidney Moncrief, Mark Eaton, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning and Kawhi Leonard have each won it twice. Jaren Jackson Jr. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds. It's the one award where centers big men who make obvious contributions protecting . The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. His hustle was contagious throughout the team. A run of big men such as David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo transformed how a lot of people, including voters, looked at the award. 2019-20 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Voting) This year, Marcus Smart became the first guard to win Defensive Player of the Year since Gary Payton won the award in 1996. it gets ugly.. Who are the top 10 NBA duos? The Greek Freak has always been known as an elite defensive player. Defensive Player Ladder: Mikal Bridges earns top spot on final ballot Smart is also the second player to win the award with the Celtics, joining Kevin Garnett (2007-08). I love you. Defensive Player Ladder: Giannis Antetokounmpo climbs to No. 1 spot Those scorers Bridges guarded, they never got a night off, though many had an off night. 2021-22 NBA awards [6][7] Only eight perimeter players have been honored: Moncrief, Alvin Robertson, Michael Cooper, Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Ron Artest (known now as Metta Sandiford-Artest), Kawhi Leonard[8] and Marcus Smart. Smart, 28, ranked among the league leaders in several hustle categories, finishing tied for fourth in the NBA in loose balls recovered (75) and tied for 10th in both deflections (206) and charges drawn (16). 2 in the latest ranking as Memphis' Jaren Jackson Jr. also joins the group. The arrest took place on Feb. 10 his Morrows hometown of Charlotte, he was released two days later after posting $15,000 bail. Leonard (who repeated the next year) and Ron Artest (who won in 2004 then later changed his name to Metta Sandiford-Artest) are the only other non-bigs to win DPOY since Payton. 2000-01 Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia 76ers Lillard has 15 games with 50 or more points, sixth-most in NBA history . According to Head of Trading at PointsBet, Jay Croucher, Jackson was listed at 16-1 just five . October 25: Gobert improved from +475 to +348 a week into the season, while . Key storylines to follow as Clippers-Timberwolves tips off the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. Take a look back at every Kia Rookie of the Year award winner in NBA history. Green, who plays primarily at the power forward position, is a four-time NBA champion, a four-time NBA All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA Team, a seven-time member of the All-Defensive Team and a two-time Olympic gold . The Suns' lockdown defender finishes the season on top of the Defensive Player Ladder. According to a warrant for Morrow's arrest, he's facing charges of assault by strangulation, second-degree kidnapping and communicating threats. Jaren Jackson Jr. - Memphis Grizzlies (16 votes) Through the years, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award has always seemed to be one of the most unpredictable award races. These media members were asked to vote on their Top-3 for Defensive Player of the Year this season with the voting process working as follows: While Marcus Smart was named the NBAs Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, here is SI Fastbreaks official voting results for the 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year: Official results from SI Fastbreak NBA Media Awards Polling 2021-22 - DPOY. The spots in the lineups are voted on by a global group of 100 writers, broadcasters and media members who cover the NBA. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Winners | NBA.com MIAMI Heres just some of the things Julius Randle did in the final seconds Friday night: He lost the ball, fell to the floor, sent New York coach Tom Thibodeau sprawling and collided with a security guard. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Brook Lopez +700. Now at 38-27, the Knicks have topped last seasons win total the sixth team in the NBA to do so already this season, joining Sacramento, Indiana, Oklahoma City, Portland and Orlando. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Defensive Player Ladder: Lopez returns to No. Spots on the NBA's All-Defensive Teams are given to the league's ten best defensive performers at the conclusion of every season. 1984-85 Mark Eaton, Utah Jazz On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 1, Defensive Player Ladder: JJJ leads the way, Defensive Player Ladder: Lopez becomes new No. In the first of what will be several days of NBA Awards ballot reveals, here is a . Jonathan has worked extremely hard to return to the court this season and has demonstrated his impact on our team. Tyler Herro had a steal and layup to put Miami up by one with 23.1 seconds remaining. Rudy Gobert named 2020-21 Kia Defensive Player of the Year Fifteen players across the DI . Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace have each won the award a record four times. Gobert for his career is averaging 12.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game. [3] Rudy Gobert and Dwight Howard have won the award three times,[4] with Howard having won it in three consecutive seasons. April 19, 2022 12:29 pm ET. The 2022-2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award is going to be competitive, with several gifted defenders going at it this season, with Smart almost certainly being in the mix once again. That year, Kawhi Leonard won Defensive Player of the Year with just 29% of first-place votes. 1 in this month's ranking. Miami's Bam Adebayo is the defensive lynchpin of his team, and Mikal Bridges is one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire league. Lopez is averaging just shy of three blocks per game and only fouling opponents just over two times per game. Which is why this is such a hard-luck story. January 18, 2022 5:27 PM. 2018-19 Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Voting) So it seems perfectly reasonable as a cutoff for its major honors. Its worth remembering that five of the first six DPOY awards, and seven of the first nine, went to guards or wings. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Finalists announced for 2021-22 NBA awards, Defensive Player Ladder: Bridges finishes No. But after all the arguments, theres still far from a consensus about about who deserved to win. After Marcus Smart upended the NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds last season, a different story is unfolding for 2022-23, with Smart's price to win Defensive . Each voters complete ballot for each award will be posted at PR.NBA.com after the announcement of all end-of-season awards. The two leaders, Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert . Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart , the leading defender on the NBA's leading defense, believes he is the Defensive . 1999-00 Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat More . Randle headed toward the sideline, only to have Butler knock the ball away with 5.7 seconds left yet it somehow stayed inbounds and skipped right back into Randles hands. 1989-90 Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons Giannis Antetokounmpo. Full voting results pic.twitter.com/9WX2L25o4M, NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 18, 2022. Melton upped his averages in limited game time with 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 . Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of Boston and runner-up Mikal Bridges of Phoenix received the most voting points in balloting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive Team. Bridges, much to the chagrin of his opponents, always shows up. Jaren Jackson Jr. Rocketing Up NBA's 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Trending Topics: Who will prevail in Play-In Tournament? The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. Look back at the winners of every NBA award, All-NBA team and more in NBA history. When there has not been a guard named to the award in 26 years, one winning the NBA's 2022 Kia Defensive Player of the Year award is kind of a big deal. With the end of the season drawing near, here's one voter's picks for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year . In honor of being named the 2022 Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Wilson will receive $5,150 and a specially designed trophy from Tiffany & Co. Rudy Gobert . The most recent award recipient is Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics. 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds | BetMGM If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. NBA Players With The Most NBA Finals Appearances The lead changed hands three more times, the last off Randles winner. Mar 3, 2023. The Orlando forward played only 11 games this season after missing two years with a torn ACL. The force behind Memphis' league-leading defense climbs to the top of the latest ranking. Anunoby on both ends of the floor is one of the main reasons that Toronto has not careened off the side of the proverbial highway without No. Marcus Smart, Mikal Bridges, Rudy Gobert and what's fueling the NBA NBA - Last 5 players w/ 1st place MVP vote for team. 1, Defensive Player Ladder: Green still No. 1 in the span of a year and they up their play with impressive individual stats to boot. Check out every NBA All-Defensive honoree since 1969. With this award, all that does is just continues to help me and show me that theres still more to go and to continue the path that Im on.. F Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, Honorable mentions: Dejounte Murray, Robert Williams III, Jarrett Allen, Draymond Green, Kyle Lowry. Ben Simmons' case for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year was made even stronger recently while he missed four games for the Philadelphia 76ers. The guards, forwards and center with the most points are placed on the First Team. Randle scored 43 points, the last of them on a go-ahead 3-pointer off a wildly broken play with 1.7 seconds left, and the Knicks extended their winning streak to eight games with a 122-120 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Theyre now 4 1/2 games behind No. Phoenix's ironman leads Rudy Gobert and Marcus Smart in the final ranking of the NBA's best defenders. Phoenix's ironman leads Rudy Gobert and Marcus Smart in the final ranking of the NBA's best defenders. The strong defense helped propel the Celtics to a 51-31 record and the second seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2022 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. The award's recipient in 2020, Giannis Antetokounmpo is another perennial NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Voting results: 2021-22 NBA regular-season awards - NBA.com: NBA Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. The Suns wiry wing does it tirelessly, logging the most court distance defensively on a nightly basis. He proved that in 2019-20 when he earned his first DPOY trophy, he proved it last season in coming up with .