Count Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce among those who believe Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez might be the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year. The former Boston Celtics stars couldn't be more impressed with Lopez's development into an outside shooter and defensive stand-out during the second half of his career.

Lopez is the favorite to win the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year award. Garnett and Pierce marveled at the strides that the Bucks center has made in recent years on an episode of “Ticket & The Truth”

“Nobody has extended their career and adjusted to the new NBA more than [Brook Lopez],” Pierce said.

“He's a whole different player. He's adjusted to the new era. Nobody has done more to adjust to this era than him.”

Early in his career, Lopez was known as an offense-first big man who could score in the paint. Now, Lopez is a dominant defensive player and a threat from 3-point range.

With eight games left in the regular season, Lopez's 2.5 blocks per game rank second in the league. The 34-year-old is the anchor of the NBA's No. 1 defense. Lopez is also shooting a career-best 37.5% on 4.8 attempts per game from 3-point range.

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It would've been hard to imagine Lopez putting up such numbers when Garnett and Pierce became Lopez's teammates with the Brooklyn Nets in 2013. In two seasons alongside Garnett in the Nets' frontcourt, Lopez averaged 1.8 blocks and only made a single 3-pointer. Lopez has drained 131 shots from behind the arc this season.

“He's had like two careers,” Garnett said.

Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. is viewed as Lopez's biggest threat for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Jackson leads the league with 3.0 blocks per game, but he's played 16 fewer games than the Bucks' star.