For years, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award has been dominated by big men. After all, the award is named after Hakeem Olajuwon, the league's all-time leader in blocked shots and one of the best big men to ever play the game.
In the league today, there are various big men who make an impact on the defensive side of the floor. Before he went to the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, Rudy Gobert had won this award three different times with the Utah Jazz because of his ability to protect the rim.
After Marcus Smart took home the award for the Boston Celtics during the 2021-22 season, it was Jaren Jackson Jr. who emerged to put this title back in the hands of big men across the league. Jackson won the 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, receiving 56 first-place votes compared to Brook Lopez's 31 votes. The 24-year-old was dominant for the Memphis Grizzlies last season, as he led the league in blocks per game for the second straight season at 3.0 blocks per game.
Once again, Jackson will enter the season as a favorite for this award, yet there are a handful of other notable names who are looking to cement themselves as the best defensive player in the league. Giannis Antetokounmpo won the award a few years back, Marcus Smart is now playing alongside Jackson in Memphis, and Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo has not been shy about claiming he's the best defender in the league.
Throughout the course of the NBA preseason, ClutchPoints conducted a poll featuring media members from around the country, some of whom are official voters the league uses to determine the winner of their end-of-season awards. Some cover the league at-large, while others cover individual teams. Nonetheless, each media member was asked a variety of questions pertaining to the playoffs, NBA Finals, and individual player awards and accolades.
ClutchPoints' Full NBA Preseason Media Poll
Most Valuable Player | Rookie of the Year | Most Improved Player| Coach of the Year
Sixth Man of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | NBA Finals/Playoffs/season predictions
Most likely to be a first-time All-Star
Seven different players received consideration for Defensive Player of the Year, but there was a heavy consensus answer, one that would lead to a first-time recipient of the award.
Below are the results from the voting that took place for 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
ClutchPoints' 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Media Poll results
- Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat) – 36%
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) – 20%
- Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics) – 16%
Also receiving votes: Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
Bam Adebayo's pursuit of Defensive Player of the Year
The Miami Heat have been championship contenders for years. They may not always have the best roster, but head coach Erik Spoelstra, who is a preseason Coach of the Year candidate, always gets the most out of his players. This is exactly what Spo has done with Bam Adebayo through the years.
Entering the league as a raw, high-flying big man, Adebayo has turned himself into a multidimensional two-way presence who can do a little bit of everything on the floor. His best attributes, though, lie on the defensive side of the court. Given his length and athleticism, Adebayo is what every team is looking for nowadays at the center position.
A four-time All-Defensive member, Adebayo already has his eyes set on winning the 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year award.
“Everybody always looks at the last column, which is how many points did he score in the game,” Adebayo said this offseason, via Playmaker HQ. “And people forget that other side of the court exists because of the entertainment business. So for me it’s just that will, that passion, that mentality. It’s just what I’ve been through and one of those niches I know I have.
“I want to get Defensive Player of the Year just so I can have the award.”
Adebayo has finished at least fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting each of the last four years and finished fifth last season. The best defensive player on one of the best defensive teams in the league should definitely be in contention for this award, which is why Bam feels the way he does.
Regarding how his head coach feels about his defensive anchor, Spoelstra recent claimed that Adebayo does not get the respect he deserves when it comes to being called one of the best defenders in the entire NBA.
“I think Bam is the best defensive player in the league and I just can't understand why he's not recognized for how impactful he is on that end of the court,” Spo told reporters during the preseason.” So he's just going to have to prove it again and just do it this year until everybody notices. I think that's a good award to go for.”
In the preseason media poll, Adebayo received 36 percent of the vote, leading the pack for Defensive Player of the Year by a wide margin. Between what he is capable of doing on the floor and the added fuel of being slept on, Adebayo enters the 2023-24 season with a chip on his shoulder.
No love for Jaren Jackson Jr.
There is no denying that Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of the most impactful defensive players in the league over the last couple of seasons. Not only has Jackson led the league in blocked shots per game each of the last two seasons, but he is able to switch onto and hold his own against any type of opponent. JJJ can switch out onto guards on the perimeter in pick-and-roll sets, as well as play off the ball as a weak-side defender, rotating into the paint for easy blocks.
The Grizzlies lean on his defense a lot to kick-start their transition offense, hence why his blocked shots have such an impact. As far as the Defensive Player of the Year goes, NBA media members do not see him winning this award in back-to-back seasons. Jackson finished tied for fourth in the voting with just 8 percent of votes after struggling a bit this summer for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup.
In order for the Grizzlies big man to have a shot at winning this award again, he is going to need to lift Memphis to having the best defense in the league. They ranked second in defensive rating and 11th in opponent's points per game last season, which is why Jackson can achieve this feat once more. It will also be interesting to see what Smart's addition will mean for JJJ and his Grizzlies defense.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday headline others in the mix
Adebayo is viewed as the frontrunner for this award with Jackson failing to crack the top three. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday were the two names to come in directly behind Bam in the NBA preseason media poll, receiving 20 percent and 16 percent of the vote, respectively.
With Damian Lillard now by his side on the Milwaukee Bucks, a lot of pressure is going to be taken off Antetokounmpo. This is not only going to result in Giannis being more well-rested for the end of the season, but he will be able to help anchor this team's defense alongside 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year finalist Brook Lopez.
Seeing his offensive production increase last season with Khris Middleton sidelined due to injuries, Antetokounmpo was not able to live up to his full potential on defense. Lillard's arrival means we will be seeing a new, refreshed version of Giannis, one that resembles the back-to-back MVP we saw in 2019 and 2020.
For Holiday, he has always been known as one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire NBA. Going from the Bucks to the Boston Celtics this offseason, Holiday now fills the void left behind by Smart given his departure to Memphis. A five-time All-Defensive talent, it is shocking that Jrue has never won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
All-Stars around the league hate going up against him because of the fact that he is so hard to score against. In Boston, Holiday is going to be allowed to play freely and will be in a system that puts an emphasis on perimeter defense. This may very well result in his best defensive season ever.
Anthony Davis, Evan Mobley, and Joel Embiid were the only other three players to receive consideration in the NBA media poll. If he can stay healthy, Davis can certainly make a case for being in the running. There was a point during the 2022-23 season when the Los Angeles Lakers star looked like a favorite for the MVP award, and he can absolutely lead the league in blocked shots.
Health has stood in the way of AD reaching his full potential in recent years. Los Angeles is banking on him remaining on the floor for most of the season. If this happens, keep an eye on Davis as a sleeper pick for Defensive Player of the Year.
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