From Victor Wembanyama to Bam Adebayo: 5 top contenders for Defensive Player of the Year award

Defending is a special skill in any sport and in basketball it is no different. The team with the best defense usually ends up on the winning side. Therefore, we are bringing you a list of five players who are in the running for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Davis, Herbert Jones and Bam Adebayo are the favourites.

Fifth on the list features Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo. The 26-year-old is having an impressive season for the Heat where he is contributing 19.6 points and four assists per game. On the defensive side of things, he has been very impressive as well. Adebayo’s defensive rating this season has been 111.7.

He has registered 10.7 defensive rebounds per game which is the ninth-best in the division. To go with that, he has also registered one block and 1.1 steals per game.

Next in the list features New Orleans Pelicans’ Herbert Jones. The 25-year-old’s defensive rating in the ongoing campaign has been 118.7. He has managed to register 1.4 steals per game which is the 11th-best in the competition. Other than that, he has also contributed 11 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as well.

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis is third on the list. The 31-year-old has contributed 12.6 rebounds per game which is the third-best in the competition. To go with that, he has also contributed 2.4 blocks per game which is the fourth-best in NBA this season.

Other than that, Davis has been contributing 24.5 points, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game this season for the Lakers.

San Antonio Spurs young sensation Victor Wembanyama is second on the list. The 20-year-old has registered 3.6 blocks per game which is by far the best by any player in the competition.

To go with that, he has also contributed 10.7 rebounds per game, 10th best in the NBA this season. Furthermore, Wembanyama registered 21.3 points, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the Spurs.

First on the list features Minnesota Timberwolves centre Rudy Gobert. The 31-year-old has registered 12.8 points per game, second-best in the competition. To go with that, he has also contributed 2.1 blocks per game which remains the sixth-best in the league.