Back in October, just before the 2015-16 NBA season kicked off, a panel of writers at Last Word On Sports predicted award winners for every category. Many of those predictions will turn out to be spot-on, while some will surely fall flat. But with the regular season now in the books, six members of the LWOS basketball department will give their takes on who deserves to win each award. We’ll go through all six of the main awards, including Coach of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Valuable Player.
For a complete listing of picks for the 2015-16 NBA awards at LWOS, click here.
Let’s take a look at our choices for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
2015-16 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Picks
Harrison Marcus, senior editor: Kawhi Leonard, who won it last year, is my pick for Defensive Player of the Year once again in 2015-16. The Spurs have allowed a league-low 92.9 points per game, and Leonard’s 94.8 defensive rating has definitely been a huge factor contributing to their dominance on the defensive end. Each night he is given the task of guarding the opposing team’s best player, and more often than not he rises to the occasion. With an elite combination of speed, strength, size, versatility, and basketball IQ, Leonard is the ideal defensive player for a coach to work with.
Thomas Mooney, staff writer: I’m going with Hassan Whiteside. He leads the league in blocks by a wide margin, he’s one of the best defensive rebounders in the league, and he also leads the league in defensive rating. He does like to chase blocks, which sometimes hurts them, but the Heat are not where they are now if he’s not covering the paint like he is. Honorable Mentions: Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard.
Lior Kozai, associate editor: The DPOY race is again between just two players this year; it’s Kawhi Leonard vs. Draymond Green, round two. Last season, Leonard took the award, despite having less first place votes. Leonard is the best and most versatile perimeter defender in the league, while Green is another versatile defender who allows Golden State’s elite switching defense to function. Although Green is terrific, I give the edge to Leonard (which I also did last season). As NBA on ESPN commentator Jeff Van Gundy put it on a recent Lowe Post podcast: “Kawhi Leonard is the best defender on a historically great defensive team.” Van Gundy is right; Leonard is the top defender on the Spurs, who have the best defensive rating in the league and one of the greatest defenses of all time by nearly any statistical measure. Leonard, with his long arms and unbelievable quickness, is extremely difficult to beat off the dribble. He routinely guards the opposing team’s best perimeter player, from Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook to LeBron James and Kevin Durant, and he does as good a job as one can do when guarding the world’s best offensive talents. Leonard deserves to win this award for the second consecutive year.
Chris Voloschuk, staff writer: Kawhi Leonard. It can’t be anyone else this year, a season in which Leonard only got better on a Spurs team that combined to play the league’s best defense (98.9 defensive rating, league-low 92.9 points allowed per game). The soft-spoken small forward is quick enough to lock down opposing guards, long and athletic enough to frustrate his fellow forwards, and averages nearly two steals and a block per game. His facial expression never seems to change, but his tenacity suggests he relishes defending the likes of Kevin Durant, LeBron James and the other great scorers around the league. Voters for this award have the opportunity to right the wrong of choosing Golden State’s Draymond Green a year ago.
Matthew Cardenas, associate editor: I really like the defensive job that Hassan Whiteside did this year. Unlike anyone else, he is getting triple doubles with blocks instead of assists. His length gives him the ability to alter any shot in the paint and makes it a nightmare for opposing players. He averages 3.6 blocks per game this year and has 269 blocked shots, which leads the league by a wide margin. His defensive play has been key to the Miami Heat grabbing the number three seed in the eastern conference.
Grant Funtila, staff writer: I’d have to go with Kawhi Leonard here. He’s amazing defensively he can guard the point up to the power forward he has a DWS of 5.3 and he’s doing it all in just over 30 mpg. He averages over 1.6 steals per game and just a little under 1 block per game. He’s quick enough to guard the 1 and the 2 and he also has the upper body strength to guard both the forward position. He has the natural instinct to get his hands in the passing lane and he’s leading the best defensive team in the NBA. Honorable Mention: Draymond Green. Honestly it’s very close between the two but Draymond has the luxury of playing with Andrew Bogut, Klay Thompson, and Andre Igoudola. But still Draymond is an elite defender that can guard anyone on the court. The reason I went with Kawhi is because he individually elevated the Spurs defense to greater heights.
