Jaren Jackson Jr. isn't beating around the bush. As the 82-game grind finally comes to a close, the Memphis Grizzlies star has made it abundantly clear just how badly he wants to win Defensive Player of the Year.

“I definitely think I'm Defensive Player of the Year,” Jackson told ESPN's Tim MacMahon. “I just think I put together something special, and I want it bad.”

There's still no consensus among NBA analysts on who should take home basketball's top defensive honor entering the final weekend of 2022-23.

Jackson, 23, certainly has a strong case for the award, but so does Milwaukee Bucks rim-protector Brook Lopez, Miami Heat Swiss Army Knife Bam Adebayo and budding Cleveland Cavaliers star Evan Mobley. Perennial stalwarts like Draymond Green, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis will no doubt be heard from in Defensive Player of Year voting, too.

Still, if you cast aside his relative lack of court time this season compared to other contenders, Jackson's resumé for the inaugural Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy is pretty clearly stands alone.

The Grizzlies' 110.6 defensive rating is basically tied for second in the league, and dips down to 106.5 with Jackson on the floor, per NBA.com/stats—an easy team-best. He isn't just leading the NBA with 3.0 blocks per game, but forcing opponents into laughably low 46.8% shooting at the rim, the stingiest mark in basketball. Jackson also leads the NBA in combined blocks and steals, a blend of defensive versatility and disruption that sets him apart from Lopez and Adebayo, his top competition for the award.

But Jackson's 62 appearances entering Friday night and 28.4 minutes per game—an average deflated by his nagging penchant for foul trouble—could ultimately sway voters another direction. Either way, he's bound to finish top-three in Defensive Player of the Year this season, a sign of even more dominance to come on that end of the floor for one of the league's brightest young two-way stars.