The NBA season is rolling and there’s no better way to get ready for the season than making some predictions. We’ve already hit you with the best 2016-17 NBA preview for the conference standings, we’ve given you the top candidates for the Rookie of the Year award, took a look at the crop for the Most Improved Player award, analyzed the top guys making moves by picking the winners for the Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year and also told you about the best guys coming off the bench in our Sixth Man of the Year award picks. Now we look at the defensive stoppers.
For the last two years, there have been a handful of names synonymous with this award. Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz and DeAndre Jordan from the Los Angeles Clippers. There have been a few new guys who made some noise like Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat, Avery Bradley from the Boston Celtics and even Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans. But it’s very hard to go against what we already know. There are three top-flight defenders in the NBA and one of them has outright been the best for the past three years.
2016-17 NBA Preview
Defensive Player of the Year
Winner: Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
2. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
3. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
4. Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics
5. DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers
Other nominees: Hassan Whiteside, Anthony Davis, Avery Bradley, Marc Gasol, Andre Iguodala
Avery Bradley has come out and declared that he wants this award and he prides himself on being a top defender. Hassan Whiteside has always talked about his blocks and what that statistic means to him, especially when it comes to triple-doubles. Draymond Green was a controversial second place winner two years ago, despite having more first-place votes. But one man who has been quiet throughout the years has been Kawhi Leonard. The man who looks to become only the second player all-time to win the award three years in a row and the first non-center to do so has earned a majority of our votes.
It’s hard to not notice the dominance that is Kawhi Leonard’s defense. He’s been known to completely engulf the basketball with one hand on occassion, go up to contest shots without fouling and has the ability to switch onto just about anyone. He’s defended the best and brightest on the perimeter and never shies away from a challenge. From LeBron James to Stephen Curry to Anthony Davis and more, if you need a stop, Kawhi is your man. His Spurs teams are always one of the top team in defensive rating, he personally has a fantastic defensive rating and a number of players have noted him as being the best defender in the league. Until he shows signs of regression, this will be his award to lose.
