There have certainly been some great defensive performances this year, by numerous players. With more and more legitimate defenders coming into the league, a defensive presence has been something crucial for NBA team success. The Los Angeles Clippers definitely need DeAndre Jordan or their defense would not be as effective.
He leads the league in defensive rebounds, he is 5th in blocks, and averaging a 72% field goal percentage. Without Blake Griffin, he is their post presence and he has been doing it well. According to head coach Doc Rivers, he’s doing it the best.
According to Arash Markazi of ESPN:
“He’s clearly the defensive player of the year,” Rivers said Sunday. “If anybody else gets that award, we need to have an investigation. … What he’s doing defensively, if he was doing that offensively, he would be recognized as the MVP or one of them, but because it’s defense, no one notices.”
There are DEFINITELY other players that can be the DPOY this year as well, like Draymond Green, or Jimmy Butler, maybe even a guy like Rudy Gobert, who has been a blocks machine. DeAndre Jordan should be a clear favorite, but there are tons of guys who will be willing to give Doc Rivers a run for his money.
