The NBA is back in full swing after the all-star break, and with teams being in more of a defensive mindset lately, I look at 3 predictions for the NBA’s Defensive player of the year.
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert
The three times Defensive Player of the Year has been dominating the league for the last couple of years since his first time winning the prestigious award back in 2019. And while the Jazz is 4th in the western conference with a 39-22 record, Gobert has been showing why he deserves the award for the 4th time. He has been averaging 2.3 blocks per game, which is among the top, and has been averaging a double-double for the year with 15.6 points per game and 14.8 rebounds per game. The 7’1” center has a unique way of playing defense making the player that he is guarding think that he has an easy shot only for Gobert to find a way to reject the shot. And if things keep going the way they have for him, it’s a no-brainer that he should win the award.
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen
The Cavaliers have been one of the teams that have been gaining momentum for the last couple of weeks. With a 35-24 record, they seem to be approaching their first playoff appearance since 2018 before LeBron James left for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. And it is mostly due to center Jarrett Allen being in the backcourt. With 16.1 points per game, 11 rebounds, 1.4 blocks per game, Allen has been an underrated option for the award. And with him being able to participate in the All-Star game which happened to be in the Cavaliers stadium, I think that this could be the perfect opportunity for him to set himself above the others in consideration for the award and help the Cavs in a deep playoff run in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid
The 76ers have put themselves in position for a top seed in the Eastern Conference with one single trade that they have been looking for. A few weeks ago, the 76ers traded Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, 2022 1st round pick, and 2027 1st round pick for James Harden and Paul Millsap. Getting Harden to the 76ers helps because with that it helps Embiid improve into more of an all-around player than he already was. With 29.6 points per game and 11.2 rebounds with getting 1.4 blocks per game, Embiid has been a top consistent player in the NBA. And I think that while there are only a few things he needs to work on, the 8-year veteran has been carrying the 76ers to compete with the top seed Chicago Bulls for the 1st seed in the conference, he has all the necessities to be able to win the award.
