The Brow’s DPOY Odds: The Brow Stays the Favorite in the Defensive Player of the Year Odds
Another Monday is upon us NBA Fans, which means that we’re going to resume our weekly discussion about the players who are in the running for the league’s top defensive player. Coming into the season, Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert was the odds on favorite to win the award. Of course, considering he’s won the award in each of the last two seasons, that doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
The other names on the list include reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers. So, without further ado, here’s a updated look at which player has the best odds to capture the DPOY award based upon how they have performed over the past week (Jan. 13 through Jan. 19).
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Defensive Player Of The Year Odds
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The Third-Best NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds: Giannis Antetokounmpo (+650—Last Week’s Odds: +600)
Giannis Antetokounmpo suited up three times for the Bucks over the past week. And thanks to his contributions, Milwaukee picked up wins in each of those outings. In a 128-102 victory against the New York Knicks, the Greek Freak posted a 37-9-4 stat line on 12-for-17 shooting from the field. He followed that up with a 32-17-7 outing against the Boston Celtics and he concluded his slate of games with a 29-point, 12-rebound, and four-assist effort in a 20-point win over the Brooklyn Nets.
For the season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 30 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per outing. Additionally, he is shooting 32.5 percent from 3-point range, which is nearly seven percentage points higher than his 25.6 conversion rate from last season. Defensively, Giannis averaged one block per contest but produced just one steal over the three-game stretch. So, while he his game continues to evolve from an offensive standpoint, the chances of him winning the DPOY aware are fairly slim at this point.
The Second-Best NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds: Rudy Gobert (+340—Last Week’s Odds: +300)
As was the case with Antetokounmpo, Gobert played in three outings over the past week and he was quite productive. He put up 22 points and 18 boards in a 118-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Although the Jazz came up a bit short in a 138-132 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Gobert certainly did his part, scoring 17 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Gobert concluded his week with a 28-point, 15-rebound outing against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 18, propelling the Jazz to a 123-101 win.
On the defensive end of the floor, Gobert averaged a more than respectable 2.7 blocks to go along with one steal per contest. Even more important, his contributions at that end of the floor have helped Utah move into a third-place tie with the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference standings.
The Best NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds: Anthony Davis (-230—Last Week’s Odds: -177)
Unlike his competition, Davis didn’t play in any games over the past week due to a tailbone injury he sustained against the New York Knicks back on Jan. 7. On one hand, both Antetokounmpo and Gobert are ranked higher than Davis in terms of defensive win shares. On the other hand, Davis is second in the league in blocked shots per contest at 2.6. Also, thanks to his addition to the roster, the Lakers are allowing 105.6 points per outing – the fourth-best mark in the NBA.
Furthermore, Los Angeles is a top-five team at both ends of the floor. This is significant because they finished 24th and 12th in these categories in 2018-19. Although Davis has the Lakers clicking on all cylinders, the race for the Defensive Player of the Year award is far from over and it will be interesting to see how this plays out during the second half of the season.
