With Victor Wembanyama Sidelined, Who Can Win Defensive Player Of The Year?

Injuries suck. Unfortunately, they’re an inevitable aspect of sports. The NBA world was shaken up by the news San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanayama will miss the rest of the season with a deep vein thrombosis, a form of a blood clot in his right shoulder.

While the Spurs have signaled to insiders Wembanyama is expected to fully recover and be ready for next season, it’s still a serious injury that could not only be career-ending but life-threatening, if not treated properly. For Wembanyama’s sake and that of basketball fans worldwide, we hope this is just a minor speed bump upon a long, illustrious career and healthy life for the 21-year-old.

An injury of this magnitude has ripple effects across the league. First, the Spurs’ playoff chances wither away in the loaded Western Conference. It also has significant implications for them ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, as they could land a top pick if they tumble down the standings with Wembanyama out.

Since Wembanyama has only played 46 games this season, he will no longer be eligible for an All-NBA spot, All-Defensive Team or Defensive Player of the Year, three awards he was a shoo-in for this season.

The latter is the most interesting to monitor as the season comes to a close; the race for the league’s most prestigious individual defensive award is open. And while there are a few standouts and favorites, it’s anyone’s game.

Let’s make the case for a few players.

Jaren Jackson Jr.

The 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year is now the odds-on favorite to win the award again this season. His case is fairly straightforward. Jackson has anchored the Memphis Grizzlies to the league’s seventh-best defense. He’s top 20 in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus. The Grizzlies give up 8.4 more points per 100 possessions defensively with Jackson off the floor, per Cleaning the Glass.

Ultimately, his versatility as a defender — being able to switch on the perimeter and play alongside other bigs — makes him unique as an anchor. It only helps he’s also an elite rim protector. Teams shoot just 49 percent on field goals within 6 feet of the hoop against him, according to NBA.com. There would be no reason to complain if Jackson took home the prize.

Evan Mobley

Mobley’s case is about as ironclad as Jackson’s. The Cleveland Cavaliers boast the NBA’s eighth-best defense and he’s 15th Defensive EPM. Mobley and Jackson have comparable block and steal percentages, and the Cavs are 8.1 points better per 100 possessions defensively when he’s on the floor.

Like Jackson, Mobley’s dominance is as a weak-side helper, but his versatility shines through when he switches out onto the perimeter. But what might hold back Mobley’s case is he plays alongside Jarrett Allen. Some might say they cannibalize each other’s candidacies because each is so good. But, for whatever it’s worth, the Cavs have been better on defense this season with just Mobley on the floor than with both on the floor or just Allen out there.

Anyone On The Oklahoma City Thunder

If he were eligible for this award, Chet Holmgren would be the front-runner. But the Oklahoma City Thunder are on pace for one of the best defensive seasons — and perhaps, the best — of all-time.  Their 104.5 defensive rating is tops in the NBA by a wide margin. It’s 4.0 points better than the second-ranked Los Angeles Clippers.

That would be the widest gap between first and second since the NBA started tracking defensive rating in 1996. And much of that has come without Holmgren, who’s missed 41 games this year. There are a few guys for whom you can make cases on Oklahoma City.

When both Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein were sidelined, 6-foot-6 Jalen Williams stepped in at center to anchor the Thunder inside. He’s top 10 in deflections per game and averages nearly two steals, while plugging holes for Oklahoma City.

Lu Dort has a similar, sturdier case. Pound for pound, he’s the Thunder’s best on-ball defender. They allow an absurd 103 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor.

Alex Caruso is second on the team in defensive impact and No. 1 in the entire league in Defensive EPM. But he’s also ineligible for the award because of time missed, as is Hartenstein, who’s been tremendous.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the league in steals. He’s been brilliant in his own right, causing deflections and wreaking havoc. Basically, take your pick on this team, and you’ll probably find a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year case.

That said, depending on who you ask, the Thunder’s sheer amount of defensive talent makes it harder to choose just one defender to reward.

Ivica Zubac

Zubac isn’t someone who will be mentioned often in this conversation, but he should be. The big man in the middle anchors the Clippers’ second-ranked defense and is having a career year on all fronts. He’s the only player among the top seven in Defensive EPM still eligible for the award.

Opposing teams are shooting an absurd 55 percent at the rim against him, and he’s allowing just under 0.89 points per possession defending pick-and-rolls, an excellent mark for a player in his position. He’s not the sexiest choice and likely falls short because of worse raw numbers than Jackson or Mobley, who both boast higher block percentages and average more stocks (steals and blocks) than Zubac. But the season he’s having is worthy of mention. He still has time to make this a three-man race.

So, Who Should Win Defensive Player Of The Year?

Ultimately, there’s lots of basketball left to be played. Just under 30 games remaining this regular season is more than enough time for one of these candidates to become the Defensive Player of the Year favorite.

Perhaps, this two-month stretch allows another dark horse to enter the race. Does The Great Barrier Thief, Dyson Daniels, help the Atlanta Hawks improve defensively and strengthen his case? Can Amen Thompson put up enough voluminous numbers to force his way into the conversation? Or, will someone else make a surprise case for the league’s most prestigious defensive award?

This isn’t how this race was supposed to play out. At the start of the season, it seemed like a tight race between Wembanyama and Holmgren. But their respective injuries deflated what could have been a heated battle. But there’s still plenty of intrigue among the remaining candidates, and we’ve now found ourselves in a new heated battle for Defensive Player of the Year — even if it’s not the one most of us first imagined.