Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

NBA’s 2024–2025 Defensive Player of the Year Race: Who Should Win the Award This Season?

Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

If not for the injury that Victor Wembanyama suffered, he was the heavy favorite to take home the Defensive Player of the Year award. Wemby was averaging a staggering 3.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game, and there was nobody in the close vicinity to even compete with him for the award. That is until the injury happened and it was declared that Wemby is out for the rest of the season.

Now that Wemby is out of the picture, the DPOY award is once again a toss up and anybody can take it home this time. There are no clear cut favorites, which is why we’ll discuss about the top-5 candidates who can take home the DPOY award. Let’s get right into it.

Also Read: Marcus Smart Clashes With a Fan in Emotional Boston Return

Top Candidates for the DPOY Award

1. Evan Mobley

Evan Mobley is emerging into a star forward, in front of our eyes. This year he’s had his career best season in terms of scoring putting up 18.5 points per game, 3.1 assists, 9.2 rebounds, and is shooting 56.3 percent from the field, while shooting 37.0 percent from three-point range. Meanwhile when it comes to defense, he’s averaging 1.6 blocks and 0.8 steals per game. He’s helped the Cavs achieve the number one seed in the East and win 60+ games this season. With Mobley on the floor the Cavs are 108.4 in terms of their defensive rating, without him the Cavs drop to 113.3. That is a sizeable impact and we believe he should be the top pick for the Defensive Player of the Year award this season.

😱 Evan Mobley with his patented block on defense to dunk on offense play! @evanmobley | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/fJYm9Ump7Z
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 26, 2025

2. Draymond Green

Former Defensive Player of the Year, Draymond Green, is once again in the conversation for the DPOY award. His defense has always been vital for the Warriors, and he is one of the most elite defenders in the NBA that can guard from 1-5. His versatility in the defensive side of the floor has once again brought Warriors back to life and after acquiring Jimmy Butler, the Warriors went from 11th seed in the West to the 6th seed in the West. The Warriors give up 3.2 more points when Draymond is not on the floor, and Green is currently averaging 1.4 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Draymond Green on DPOY: “I want another one.”

“Especially with Wemby going down. It seemed like he had it won. Now it’s right there.”

“One million percent I have a case and I’ll continue to build that case.” pic.twitter.com/Xzww4H8etz
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 19, 2025

3. Luguentz Dort

Dort has become one of the most essential pieces for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rotation, and it’s particularly because of his defense. He is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA today, and is not shy from guarding away the opposition’s best offensive players, night in and out. So far he’s averaging 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. The Thunder are the best defensive team in the NBA and Dort has most certainly helped OKC reach that status.

4. Dyson Daniels

Dyson Daniels is having a historic season when it comes to the amount of steals he has accumulated in the 2024-25 season. Daniels has 222 steals this season, which ranks 30th All-Time in single-season steals leaders, and he can still climb a little higher since the Hawks still have 4 more games to play in the regular season. He’s currently averaging 3.0 steals per game and 0.7 blocks.

The only reason why we think Daniels may not win the DPOY award is primarily because of the Hawks’ positioning in the East as they are the 8th seed. History (last season) tells us that positioning of the team heavily matters and we saw a similar situation with the DPOY award last season.

The Eastern Conference @Kia Defensive Player of the Month for March is Dyson Daniels! #KiaDPOTM pic.twitter.com/x8QmxComYW
— NBA (@NBA) April 1, 2025

5. Jared Jackson Jr.

While Jared Jackson Jr.’s scoring averages have gone up and he was also selected to the All-Star team, his defensive has taken a little bit of a hit, at least in terms of his numbers. When he won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022-23 season, he averaged a staggering 3.0 blocks per game.

Now, his blocks have come way down and even though he’s still averaging 1.2 steals, and 1.6 blocks, he’s defensive efficiency has fallen from what it used to be before. However, we still believe that Jackson deserves to be taken a look at as without him the Grizzlies’ defensive rating falls to 116.7 and when he’s on the court the Grizzlies are 110.9, which shows the level of impact he has on the defensive end.

Also Read: The Milwaukee Bucks Have Clenched a Playoff Spot for the Ninth Consecutive Season

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Eric Divakaran

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I cover the National Football League and things cannot get better than that. I always dreamed to play football or basketball professionally since I’m built like a Running Back. But now that I can’t, since I’m technically in the “Unc” age, I thought why not pick a career in sports industry? So here I am, doing what I love, and hoping that the Commanders win the Super Bowl. I give love to players when it’s due, but can be critical about their performances at the same time. Enough about me, now let my articles do all the talking.