The Defensive Player of the Year award this season is one of the most heavily-contested end-of-season honors of this 2016-17 campaign, sporting names like forward Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, swingman Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, and center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz.

Green has finished runner up for the award to Leonard for two consecutive years and is hoping his defensive quarterbacking can earn him the long-yearned hardware. The multi-faceted forward led the league in steals with 2.03 per game and blocked 1.4 shots per game, despite playing as an undersized 6-foot-7 power forward.

Leonard has the pedigree of an all-around defender that can smother any player who is foolish enough to come near his terrain. Now tasked with the challenge of becoming the team's talisman and be the focal point of the offense, The Klaw has established himself as the bona fide best two-way player in the league. He averaged 1.8 steals (tied with Stephen Curry for seventh-most in the league) and 0.8 blocks per game this season.

Gobert has been one of the most feared paint presence defending the rim in recent years and led the league in blocks with 2.6 per game, for the first time in his four-year career. The Frenchman was tied with Green for the best defensive efficiency in the league at a 99.8 rating.