Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies has won the NBA's 2023 Defensive Player of The Year award.
Jaren Jackson Jr. this season:
Jaren Jackson Jr. was officially named defensive player of the year, beating Brook Lopez and Evan Mobley for the award. He is the second youngest player to ever win this award.
This year Jaren Jackson Jr. led the league in blocks per game, averaging 3 blocks every game. This is also the most blocks per game in Grizzlies franchise history. He was also tied for 2nd most total blocks, even while missing 19 games.
Along with 3 blocks, he also averaged 6.8 Rebounds and 1 steal every game.
Other Candidates:
Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks and Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers were the most likely other players to win the award. This season Brook Lopez averaged 2.5 blocks and 0.5 steals per game. Evan Mobley averaged 1.5 blocks and 0.8 steals per game.
New Rule:
While Jaren Jackson Jr. was able to win the award this year, a new rule starting next season would have not allowed him to. Starting next NBA season, in order for players to be eligible for an award they must play at least 20 minutes in 65 different games. This season Jaren Jackson Jr. only played 63 games so he would not have been able to win the award if this new rule had already begun.