5 Prominent Candidates for 2024 Defensive Player of the Year

The Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award often changes each year based on a team's success. Dwight Howard won three DPOYs in a row, while Rudy Gobert won three out of four DPOYs from 2018 to 2021, but it can sometimes be an award with much variability. However, based on what teams will most likely have the best defenses and which players can stay healthy, here are five notable candidates to win the 2024 DPOY award.

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Last year’s DPOY winner Jaren Jackson Jr. might be the top candidate again as long as he stays healthy and avoids foul trouble. His shot-blocking is as good as any player in the NBA today, and his mobility allows him to switch onto guards as a 6’10 forward. Jackson Jr. has turned the Grizzlies into an elite defensive team, as they ranked third last season in defensive rating. He has a good chance of repeating as the 2024 DPOY, and his youth and overall growth may see him win more than a few DPOYs in his NBA career.

Draymond Green

Green will always be a DPOY candidate because of his defensive prowess as an undersized big man and his importance to the Warriors’ stellar team defense. His ability to affect the game defensively is unlike any player we’ve seen in the modern era of basketball. Despite his three-point shooting and offensive game taking a backseat in 2017, Green has maintained his status as a consistent all-NBA defender and a profound DPOY candidate in every season since, which actually culminated in him winning the 2017 DPOY award.

Marcus Smart

Smart won the 2021 DPOY and became one of the only guards in NBA history to do so. Before getting traded to the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason, Smart was the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics. His vocal leadership and defensive tenacity helped lead the Celtics to four conference finals appearances during his nine-year run in Boston. Now he gets to bring that same leadership and experience to a Grizzlies team that was already ranked third last season defensively. Smart’s defensive prowess may get overshadowed by new teammate Jaren Jackson Jr., but Smart will undoubtedly have a major impact on his new team.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Consistently an all-NBA defender and formerly the 2020 DPOY, Antetokounmpo will always be a top candidate for the DPOY as long as he’s healthy. He has struggled a bit with knee issues since the 2021 NBA Finals, but he should still meet the minimum number of games played to be eligible for the DPOY award and all-defensive teams. Former Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer preferred to use Antetokounmpo as a help defender rather than on the ball, so it will be interesting to see how new head coach Adrian Giffin uses him as a defender next season. Maybe a coaching shift will unlock Antetokounmpo’s defensive abilities on the ball and lead him to win another DPOY award.

Anthony Davis

The only thing limiting Davis is health, he hasn’t played in more than 65 games since the 2018 season. In the 2023 playoffs, Davis elevated the Lakers to an elite defensive team while shutting down the young Grizzlies and the dynasty Warriors in the process. Davis’s presence around the paint is unlike most players in the game today, and his shift to the center position has taken the Lakers’ defense to another level. If Davis plays in at least 65 games, he could easily win his first DPOY award.