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2026-27 season

Defensive Player of the Year

Who is defending best in the league, with our own criteria: anchoring one of the best defenses and protecting the rim weigh the most, as in the real vote.

2 2 Kawhi Leonard Toronto Raptors 67.1 0.5 blk · 3.5 stl · 7.5 reb
1 8 Kris Dunn Los Angeles Clippers 68.5 1.3 blk · 3.3 stl · 4.7 reb
3 1 Victor Wembanyama San Antonio Spurs 65.0 4.3 blk · 1.0 stl · 10.8 reb
# Player Rating PJ MIN BLK STL DREB DBPM DWS TEAM DRTG
1 Kris DunnLAC · 1-2 68.5 3 31,3 1,3 3,3 4,0 +6,4 0,2 109,2
2 Kawhi LeonardTOR · 2-1 67.1 2 26,0 0,5 3,5 5,0 +2,3 0,2 100,2
3 Victor WembanyamaSAS · 2-2 65.0 4 30,5 4,3 1,0 8,3 +0,9 0,3 111,5
4 Jonathan KumingaMIN · 3-1 65.0 4 29,8 0,5 2,0 4,5 +2,6 0,3 102,3
5 Chet HolmgrenOKC · 4-0 64.8 3 30,0 3,0 0,7 4,7 +0,9 0,2 101,9
6 Ja'Kobe WalterTOR · 2-1 64.7 3 26,0 0,7 2,3 2,7 +3,3 0,2 100,2
7 Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderOKC · 4-0 64.2 4 34,3 1,8 1,3 3,8 +1,0 0,3 101,9
8 Jaden McDanielsMIN · 3-1 63.9 4 32,0 1,3 0,8 5,3 +1,8 0,3 102,3
9 Ajay MitchellOKC · 4-0 63.1 4 24,8 0,5 2,0 2,8 +3,4 0,3 101,9
10 Anthony EdwardsMIN · 3-1 62.7 4 33,8 0,8 1,8 4,3 +0,9 0,3 102,3
11 Cooper FlaggDAL · 2-2 62.5 3 30,0 1,3 3,7 5,3 +5,2 0,2 114,4
12 LeBron JamesPHI · 3-1 62.2 3 33,3 0,7 2,0 6,3 +1,7 0,2 104,7
13 Scottie BarnesTOR · 2-1 61.9 3 30,3 1,0 2,0 5,0 -0,2 0,3 100,2
14 Tyrese MaxeyPHI · 3-1 61.3 4 38,0 1,0 2,0 3,3 +1,1 0,3 104,7
15 Joel EmbiidPHI · 3-1 60.7 3 34,3 1,0 1,0 7,7 +0,8 0,2 104,7

In the race: 200 candidates with at least 2 games (half of what the most-played rookie has) and 20 minutos per game. The 65-game rule applies: at the end of the season only players who reach 65 are eligible.

How we measure it

There is no official formula: US and Canadian media vote. In recent years the award has gone to the anchors of the best defenses: players, almost always bigs, who protect the rim on teams that allow very little. That is why team defense weighs so much. DBPM and Defensive Win Shares help, but they only see what shows up in the box score.

  • 25% Team defense · Points his team allows per 100 possessions, vs. the league average: the award goes to those who anchor the best defenses.
  • 25% DBPM · Defensive Box Plus/Minus: his defensive contribution per 100 possessions above an average player.
  • 20% Rim and steals · Blocks and steals per 36 minutes (blocks weigh more: the award rewards rim protection).
  • 10% Defensive rebounding · Defensive rebounds per 36 minutes: finishing the possession is defense too.
  • 10% Defensive Win Shares · Wins he adds on defense.
  • 10% Minutes · Minutes per game: defending 20 is not the same as defending 34.

Each measure goes from 0 to 100 among the candidates.