Jaren Jackson Jr. leads the way!
The DPOY Ranking is this ranking where we can appreciate for half a dozen years the presence of a huge Frenchman, Rudy Gobert, who was triple rewarded. This is the ranking where you’ll find names that aren’t necessarily at the top of the bill every night. On the other hand, this is the ranking where you can often find the names of guys who make their team win. Who wins by their defense, near or far from the ball. Go, good reading and do not enter without permission, under penalty of being bitten.
(Statistics as of January 30)
#10 Rudy Gobert
He may have danced the rumba last night against Trey Lyles, Rudy Gobert is better and it shows in his team’s results. Fewer counterattacks than in previous seasons but still impressive, as is still the center of Wolves’ defensive layout. For attacking balls we will come back, that is not the topic, but if the Wolves want to aim for anything it will go through a dominant Gobe under the basket. It’s starting to come, very slowly, and let’s face it, Rudy’s real place in this ranking is a few lines down. We’ll talk about it in a month?
2022-23 stats: 11.7 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.3 against, Wolves are the twelfth best NBA team in defensive rating
#9 Aaron Gordon
If the Nuggets are still leading the Western Conference, it is obviously thanks to the offensive genius of Nikola Jokic but also thanks to the solidity of Aaron Gordon. His cleanness in attack, but also his toughness and versatility in defense, he rebuilt himself in Denver and is now one of the best role players in the League. Role player who should not be reductive for AG, he who eats the opposing golgoth every night, strong enough to manage position 5 and alive enough to take care of the number of thinner wings. Definitely our favorite version of him.
2022-23 stats: 6.8 rebounds, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 steals, the Nuggets are the thirteenth best defense in the League and the fifteenth best NBA team in defensive rating
#8 Luguentz Sleeping
At some point you have to say the rules, and if at the beginning of the season Lulu Dort had trouble being legitimate because of the collective numbers of the Thunder’s defense, after a few weeks the file was really serious. Why? As of January 31st, OKC is not part of the Grupetto but rather the bulk of the pack, and the Thunder’s defense is finally… anything but a disaster. Thanks in part to Luguentz Dort, who remains the nightmare of much of the League’s backfield. Big trunks, endless activities and projects that make you fall in love? Absolutely everything is proven for FC Dort this season!
2022-23 stats: 4.2 rebounds, 1 steal and 0.3 against, the Thunder the ninth best team in the League in defensive rating
#7 OG Anunoby
The first leader of our ranking is gradually falling, while the ambitions of the Raptors are disappearing. A bit simplistic again here, but it’s true that when your team loses a lot of matches and is defending less overall than it was two months ago… the sentence is what you think. Still as impressive as a man-to-man, still the best interceptor in the League, OG is a monster no one wants to meet on the field. Except for a bit of trouble in Toronto and the British are directly concerned because it is very likely to leave before the deadline of February 9. In any case, 2022-23 remains an explosive season for OG, but the DPOY trophy will likely go elsewhere hands this season.
2022-23 stats: 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 0.8 against, the Raptors ninth-best defense in the NBA
#6 Joel Embiid
Through the dint of seeing him slam big 45/20 every other night, we almost forget that Joel Embiid is a whore of an elite defender. We saw against the Nuggets that a PJ Tucker doesn’t slow down Nikola Jokic much, but as far as 99% of the other pivots in the League are concerned, Jojo does pretty well on his own. Imperial in the bottom circle because he is a physical monster with a real science of placement, solid in support when it comes to managing a little after a switch, Joel is a poison and we can’t wait to see him take the case by Rudy Fernandez in the next Olympic Games. Yeah yeah, we wrote that properly.
2022-23 stats: 10 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks, the Sixers are the fourth best defense in the League and the sixth best NBA team in defensive rating
.#5 Nic Claxton
The surprise of the chef, the new kid, who can also compete for the trophy for the best development or best Nic in the league. Almost three blocks on average, some landmark highlights (his fight with Joel Embiid), a consistency that didn’t need to be proven and a leading role in the Nets’ great season. Nic Claxton is officially the starting center for one of the best teams in the NBA and it’s not a roster role. Too long, too crazy, too motivated for months, Nic has passed a milestone and he is now one of those who assume after speaking. Mr. friend.
2022-23 stats: 8.9 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 2.7 blocks, the Nets are the sixth best defense in the League and the tenth best NBA team in defensive rating
#4 Evan Mobley
The future owner of the League, something close. The best Evan in the League is very young but already very dominant. We’re holding one of his teammates, Jarrett Allen, because we don’t remain the best defense in the League thanks to one person, but the real defensive boss of these Cavs is him, it’s Evan Mobley. Far too intelligent, far too far ahead of everything, Evan excels in assists, in lateral movements, we’re not even talking about his hang time which allows him to deflect here the balloons, in short if you want to put a ball in a basket just avoid dealing with this guy because we’d rather warn you: it’s a bitter disappointment. Spoiler, Evan Mobley will win this trophy, and if not this year then next.
2022-23 stats: 8.9 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 1.3 fights, Cavs best defense in League and second best NBA team in defensive rating
#3 Brook Lopez
The fall of the great Brook. Be careful, we’re not saying he’s become a big brat, we’re just saying that others have accelerated a lot, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is also taking up a lot of space on defense, which can sometimes turn off the spotlight a bit on Brooke. Very between us to see him still in third place in this ranking is crazy when you think back to his career, and the simple fact of seeing him at this level on both sides of the field makes the Bucks a legitimate candidate for the supreme title. 2.5 pancakes per game, deterrence because his face is really scary, and if his brother beats the mascots, he will continue to fill with real basketball players, every night, like 25 years old.
2022-23 stats: 6.2 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 2.5 blocks, the Bucks are the seventh best defense in the League and the fourth best NBA team in defensive rating
#2 Bam Adebayo
Things are much better for the Heat, who are slowly returning to the heights that match them. Why is it better? Mainly because the leaders are there and send our thoughts heavy and clear Udonis Haslem Bam Adebayo, who talks a lot but still plays a lot of basketball. Gneu gneu I deserve to be DPOY, gneu gneu the votes of the All-Star Game, yeah he talks a lot but it’s clear… yes for the DPOY and yes for the All-Star Game, like what he talks a lot but don’t talk nonsense. Defensive leader of his team as he transforms both into the beautiful flowers of the rabid dogs (Butler, Lowry…), Bam is more than a safe bet, he is a monster in his part of the field and the Tokyo’s French still Remember. Come on, don’t worry Bam, you should travel to Salt Lake City for ASG, and you’re getting dangerously close to the DPOY you claim you deserve.
2022-23 stats: 10 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.8 contests, the Heat second-best defense in the League and third-best NBA team in defensive rating
#1 Jaren Jackson Jr.
Ding dong, we have a new leader! After starting the season on the sidelines with the 459th injury of his career, Jaren Jackson Jr. is back in business. and some took a lot of money. 3.2 blocks on average, some would have us believe that the number is skewed but if you watch the Memphis games, even the home ones, well the blocks you see them like us, just like you also see the Dillon Brooks taf , big up old clumsy JJJ’s mere presence results in handbrake U-turns, the pancake box works like never before and if the triple J’s make it past the Candlemas date and if the Grizzlies remain a team that has won two out of three games, it’s hard to imagine who will come along and challenge Jackson’s place at the top of this ranking. Because we figured out what it would take for Jaren to be killer… he just needed to play, for over a month, injury free, so knock on wood.
2022-23 stats: 6.7 rebounds, 1 steal and 3.2 blocks, the Grizzlies are the tenth best defense in the League and the NBA’s best team in defensive rating
Source: basketreference and ESPN
