Leonard (who repeated the next year) and Ron Artest (who won in 2004 then later changed his name to Metta Sandiford-Artest) are the only other non-bigs to win DPOY since Payton. Smart is also the second player to win the award with the Celtics, joining Kevin Garnett (2007-08). My own standard goes like this: You dont get on an award ballot or merit first-team consideration if you dont participate in 70 percent of your teams games. Behind Smart, the Celtics led the NBA in defensive rating (106.2) and points allowed per game (104.5) and held opponents to the lowest field goal percentage (43.4) and three-point field goal percentage (33.9). He's been a stalwart for coach Jacque Vaughn, proving that all he needed to thrive and prove his worth was more playing time. Born in 2001, he's 21 years old and looks to have an amazing future ahead of him as a defensive player. If enough voters agree, Bridges will become the smallest player (6-foot-6, 209 pounds) to be named DPOY since Seattle guard Gary Payton (6-foot-4, 180) 26 years ago. The Memphis forward sustained the apparent lower leg injury in the 1st quarter of the Grizzlies' 113-97 loss in Denver on Friday. 2021-22 NBA awards Defensive Player of the Year. Look back at the winners of every NBA award, All-NBA team and more in NBA history. NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Rudy Gobert . Each first-place vote is worth five points, second-place votes are worth three points, and a third-place vote is worth one. The lead changed hands three more times, the last off Randles winner. A run of big men such as David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo transformed how a lot of people, including voters, looked at the award. Rudy Gobert becomes the fourth player to earn at least three Defensive Player of the Year honors. Here is the complete list of selections for the All-NBA Defensive First and Second Teams. Randle was 16 of 25 from the floor, including 8 of 13 from 3-point range. Payton and Smart are the only two point guards to have won. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. Marcus Smart was the best defensive guard in the league this year, Mikal Bridges was the best defensive wing and Rudy Gobert was the best defensive center. Bam Adebayo +700. Out of the blue, Brooklyn Nets big man Nic Claxton has emerged as a legit threat to run away with this award, rapidly climbing his way up the NBA Defensive Player of the Year ladder for 2023. Giannis Antetokounmpo. The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 198283 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. Bridges, much to the chagrin of his opponents, always shows up. December 13, 2022 9:12 am CT. That makes him eligible to be on the Nets playoff roster. MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won it in 2020, rounds out the top five contenders, though hes a distant fifth at +2500. "I am honored to have the opportunity to celebrate the league's best defensive player each year," Olajuwon said. He also won the NBA Hustle Award for the 2018-19 season. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. He led the league in blocks a season ago with 2.3 per game and hes upped that figure to 3.3 this season, which will lead the league when or if hes qualified based on percentage of games played. The award's recipient in 2020, Giannis Antetokounmpo is another perennial NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidate. 2011-12 Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks Theyre now 4 1/2 games behind No. 1999-00 Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat With this award, all that does is just continues to help me and show me that theres still more to go and to continue the path that Im on.. Presenting your 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year finalists: Taylor JenkinsErik SpoelstraMonty Williams #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/2sCGpbZvQP. Smart, 28, ranked among the league leaders in several hustle categories, finishing tied for fourth in the NBA in loose balls recovered (75) and tied for 10th in both deflections (206) and charges drawn (16). NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Ja will be away from team for 'at least' 2 games, Ex-NBA player Morrow facing assault charges, Durant passes 'Big O' for 13th in career points, NBA Fantasy: Under-the-radar additions for playoffs, Magic's Isaac (torn adductor) out for rest of season, Triple-double win streak shows Jokic dominance. 2002-03 Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons Noel, 611 and 28 years old, played a very limited role for Detroit this season as the Pistons focused on their young rotation of bigs made up of Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren, Marvin Bagley, and now James Wiseman. So much of this award from the campaigning to even interpreting the voting results is about framing. While he hasnt played as much as his competition, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. is a heavy favorite to be the leagues top defender. With the All-Star break upon us, it appears a big manwhether it is Jackson or someone elsewill hoist the trophy at the end of the season once again after Marcus Smart last year became the first guard to win DPOY in decades. 3. The players at those positions with the second-highest point totals are then put on the Second Team. Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of Boston and runner-up Mikal Bridges of Phoenix received the most voting points in balloting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive Team. TNT will announce the winner of each award during its coverage of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. The Memphis forward sustained the apparent lower leg injury in the 1st quarter of the Grizzlies' 113-97 loss in Denver on Friday. 1 points for every third-place vote. The guards, forwards and center with the most points are placed on the First Team. Mar 3, 2023. Neither played in 58 games, which represents 70 percent of the 82-game regular season schedule, which the NBA uses as its threshold for crowning statistical champions scoring and rebounding titles, for example. Utah Jazz center and three-time Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert finished in third place with 136 points (12 first-place votes). He also won the NBA Hustle Award for the 2018-19 season. Smart is also the second player to win the award with the @celtics, joining Kevin Garnett (2007-08). Most Improved Player. That drains energy from that opponents offense. 1, Defensive Player Ladder: Giannis starts on top, Defensive Player Ladder: Bridges finishes No. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Which is why this is such a hard-luck story. This figure drops further to 103.4 when he is on the floor with Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. MORE: TSN's Stephen Noh breaks down his unofficial All-NBA ballot. SLAM 500 Greatest NBA Players of All Time; Bill Simmons Hall of Fame Pyramid; ABA All-Time Team; NBA & ABA All-Star Game. Jokic has won the NBA's MVP award for a second consecutive year after averaging 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game for a Nuggets team that won 48 games. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds for the 2022-23 NBA season Furthermore, in the 2021-22 season, Celtics guard Marcus Smart averaged 12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals per . A four-time WNBA All-Star, 2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year and 2020 WNBA Most Valuable Player, A'ja Wilson already has quite the resume as a fifth-year player. 1995-96 Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics [3] Rudy Gobert and Dwight Howard have won the award three times,[4] with Howard having won it in three consecutive seasons. That year, Kawhi Leonard won Defensive Player of the Year with just 29% of first-place votes. At the Grizzlies, Melton performed well as the second defensive option behind Desmond Bane. December 12: Brook Lopez (+102) has taken over as the 2023 DPOY betting favorite with Anunoby (+500) a distant second. Defensive Player of the Year pick. Earlier this season, the Boston Celtics found themselves with two realistic candidates for the NBA's 2022 Defensive Player of the Year ( DPOY) award: veteran point guard Marcus Smart and rising big man Robert Williams III. Draymond Jamal Green Sr. (born March 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). [5] Sidney Moncrief, Mark Eaton, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning and Kawhi Leonard have each won it twice. Looking at the media polling above, the Top-4 in voting points was exactly the same as the real results for the award, but fifth-place above went to Giannis Antetokounmpo, where in the actual voting it went to Jaren Jackson Jr. The frontrunner for the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award is three-time winner Rudy Gobert. 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Those two players finished quite close in voting. 1990-91 Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons 2018-19 Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Voting) 1, Ja will be away from team for 'at least' 2 games, Ex-NBA player Morrow facing assault charges, Durant passes 'Big O' for 13th in career points, NBA Fantasy: Under-the-radar additions for playoffs, Magic's Isaac (torn adductor) out for rest of season, Triple-double win streak shows Jokic dominance, Kia Defensive Player of the Year: Marcus Smart. April 18, 2022 7:34 pm ET. Utah wound up 10th in defensive rating, nine in opponents field-goal percentage and slid from the Wests best record last season to the fifth seed now. Without him, it jumps to 113.5, about league average. 1, Defensive Player Ladder: Green still No. 2022-23 Statistics: 2.4 bpg, 0.5 spg. Marcus Smart is the first guard to be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year since Gary Payton in the 1995-96 season. Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart , the leading defender on the NBA's leading defense, believes he is the Defensive . Here are your 2021-22 #KiaDPOY finalists: Mikal BridgesRudy Gobert Marcus Smart #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/PJ2GX4QPYA, Darius Garland Ja Morant Dejounte Murray#NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/8kSusX4Yqx, Scottie Barnes Cade CunninghamEvan Mobley #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/gxrg0aa17j. But he had a big-time All-Defense-worthy helper in Robert Williams III. Jaren Jackson Jr. - Memphis Grizzlies (16 votes) Through the years, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award has always seemed to be one of the most unpredictable award races. Yet, Smart is the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. Check out your 2021-22 #KiaMVP finalists, Giannis AntetokounmpoNikola Jokic Joel Embiid#NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/xxigK4RJBc. Thethree finalists for each awardwere announced on Sunday, but SI Fastbreak has collected data from NBA media members around the country covering both the league at-large and individual teams. Matisse Thybulle has been an outside contender for the NBA-Defensive-Player-of-the-Year . 5 defense to No. 1997-98 Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta Hawks The NBA leader in blocks climbs to the top in the latest ranking of the league's best defenders. Award: But after all the arguments, theres still far from a consensus about about who deserved to win. This marks the first NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award for Smart, who becomes the first guard to earn the honor since Gary Payton in the 1995-96 season. The big man from the Bucks is managing to stay atop the DPOY race. November 8, 2022 Tyler Herro steals it and scores for the lead, and Julius Randle follows with a cold-blooded game winner! [8] In Olajuwon's case, he is the only one to have also won the NBA Finals MVP Award and the NBA championship in the same season. Hes already played in 53 this year, so availability shouldnt count against him this season when ballots are submitted. Utah's defensive superstar holds off Philadelphia's Ben Simmons and Miami's Bam Adebayo for the No. On a Phoenix team that ranked third in defensive rating (106.8) and first in net rating (7.5), none of his teammates played more than 68 games. According to John Ewing of BetMGM, Jackson opened the season with 65-1 odds to win DPOY. You can e-mail himhere, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. He earned his way into the race and persuaded a slight majority of voters to list him first or second on their ballots and more to put him third. He does it with agility, he does it with effort, he does it with wingspan and he does it better than any of his defensive-minded peers for the 2021-22 season. 1, Defensive Player Ladder: Gobert finishes at No. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. The anchor of Milwaukee's defense moves past Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr. for the top spot. The Heat also gave up 71 points by the break on Wednesday in a loss to Philadelphia; its the first time in the teams 35-year history that Miami allowed at least 71 points in consecutive first halves. Brook Lopez +500. 1996-97 Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta Hawks Smart is also the second player to win the award with the @celtics , joining . The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. Irving's 2022-23 stats: 26.7 points, 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game on .487 . Teammate of the Year. Look back at the winners of every NBA award, All-NBA team and more in NBA history. Sky Sports 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year predictions and picks kicks off, taking a look at big names like Jaren Jackson Jr, Evan Mobley and Brook Lopez and notable mentions ahead of the . The two-time Kia MVP overtakes Rudy Gobert and Draymond Green in this month's ranking of the best defenders. Taking a look at the numbers behind Nikola Jokic's historic season for the Nuggets. With a mere plurality of votes, Smart topped finalists Suns wing Mikal Bridges and Jazz center Rudy Gobert. It bounced away and Randle had to scurry to just inside the midcourt line to pick it up, clock then down to 9 seconds and with Miamis Jimmy Butler right on him. A special bonus episode of the Over & Back Classic NBA Podcast talking about the life and career of Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton who tragically passed away this weekend. Last 5 Playoff QBs for Each NFL Team. The Orlando forward played only 11 games this season after missing two years with a torn ACL. Payton was at the Celtics' practice facility to deliver the award to Smart. [11] Jordan is the only recipient to have also won the scoring title in the same season,[12] when he also became the only player to win the award while averaging over 30points per game (35.0). WHAT A CRAZY SEQUENCE TO END KNICKS/HEAT . Previous NBA DPOY Power Ranking - N/A. 2010-11 Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic Each First Team vote is scored as two points, while each Second Team vote is worth only one point. Smart checks a lot of the boxes Bridges does as a defender, while using a lower center of gravity and more strength. Sports. NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winners. In the first of what will be several days of NBA Awards ballot reveals, here is a . Robertson in 1986, Mutombo (1995), Tyson Chandler (2012), and Marc Gasol (2013) were instead named to the second team. 2006-07 Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets Smart received 257 points (37 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. it gets ugly.. Jarrett Allen +4000 . 1992-93 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets The Defensive Player of the Year . SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Wilson, the 2020 Kia WNBA MVP, finished with the most fan votes for the 2022 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game and guided Team Wilson to a 134-112 win at Chicago's Wintrust Arena on July 10. Jackson was a value bet in the preseason with +2800 odds, tied for 15th-best at the time. Previous NBA DPOY Power Ranking - N/A. 0 Comments. There were breakout guys like Toronto's Fred VanVleet as well. Marcus Smart receives the 2021-2022 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award from Gary Payton. Against the likes of Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, James Harden, LeBron James, DeMar DeRozan and so on. Check out this database of MVPs, Defensive Players of the Year, Rookies of the Year, and more all on ESPN.com's NBA Awards page. The Celtics eke out a crucial victory with a team effort, offsetting a star turn by Kyrie Irving in his playoff return to Boston, where he once played. 1987-88 Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls Marcus Smart won the 2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player Award following an impressive season that saw the Boston Celtics earn the three-seed in the Eastern Conference.The win for Smart marks the first time DPOY has been awarded to a guard since Gary Payton with the Seattle SuperSonics back in 1996. He proved that in 2019-20 when he earned his first DPOY trophy, he proved it last season in coming up with . On January 27, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List for the 2021-22 men's college basketball season. TNT will announce the winner of each award during its coverage of the 2022 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. Giannis Antetokounmpo's Defensive Rating: 107.3. With the end of the season drawing near, here's one voter's picks for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year . MP - 20.1, RPG - 1.9, BPG - 1.1, SPG - 1.6, DWS - 2.6, DBPM - 4.2. After Marcus Smart upended the NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds last season, a different story is unfolding for 2022-23, with Smart's price to win Defensive . 2014-15 Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs In the first of what will be several days of NBA Awards ballot reveals, here is a look at the votes and rationale for Kia Defensive Player of the Year, as one voter sees it, plus picks for All-Defensive First and Second Team: The Phoenix Suns 25-year-old forward established himself in his fourth NBA season as the leagues peskiest bird of prey. It was a bad night for Miami (33-31) in the standings. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Defensive Player Ladder: Lopez returns to No. And we do mean nightly Bridges was one of a handful players who appeared in all 82 games this season and, in fact, he hasnt missed a game yet since arriving from Villanova as the No. He transitioned to a full-time starter in his fourth season in the league and his defensive averages have improved accordingly. He has faith in our justice system and has every confidence that a review of the evidence will reveal that he is not guilty, Morrows lawyer said. Evan Mobley +3300. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. There is always going to be someone who feels slighted or a player who fans feel was cruelly left off, but that's the way it goes with voting. Claxtons 140 blocks (2.6 per game) are the most in the NBA and he leads the Nets with nine boards per game. YOUR 2022, BACK-TO-BACK . Fifteen players across the DI . Theyve both helped the Cavaliers improve from the No. Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of Boston and runner-up Mikal Bridges of Phoenix received the most voting points in balloting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive Team. The arrest took place on Feb. 10 his Morrows hometown of Charlotte, he was released two days later after posting $15,000 bail. 3 points for every second-place vote. October 25: Gobert improved from +475 to +348 a week into the season, while . The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. Why wouldnt an on-ball defender merit top DPOY consideration? Sports. The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. 1994-95 Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets Anthony Morrow a nine-year NBA player last seen in the league in 2017 was arrested last month in his hometown of Charlotte on charges of assault and kidnapping tied to a domestic violence incident. However, injuries derailed that plan, at least for a while. With Jackson on the court, the Grizzlies defensive rating is 109.8, a top-three mark. Jaren Jackson Jr. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds. Smart finished ahead of Suns forward Mikal Bridges and three-time winner Rudy Gobert of the Jazz in the voting. 1986-87 Michael Cooper, Los Angeles Lakers I think this award and me winning it shows that and the path for us guards now and in the future.. An eight-year NBA veteran, Smart has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team twice (2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons). TNT will announce the winner of each award during its coverage of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. In this brief episode, we . Miami's Bam Adebayo is the defensive lynchpin of his team, and Mikal Bridges is one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire league. 2022-23 Claxton 2022-23 Antetokounmpo 2022-23 Allen 2022-23 Embiid 2022-23 Mobley 2022-23 Adebayo 2022-23 Gobert 2022-23 Lopez 2022-23 Melton 2022-23 Portis 2022-23 Jokic 2022-23 Porzingis 2022-23 Tatum 2022-23 Zubac 2022-23 Nurkic 2022-23 . The Jazz's Rudy Gobert, who has won three of the last five Defensive Player of the Year awards, was also a finalist again this year. 2019-20 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Voting) A starter in all 71 of his games played in the 2021-22 regular season, the 6-foot-4 Smart ranked seventh in the NBA in steals per game (1.68) and tied for sixth in total steals (119). 1988-89 Mark Eaton, Utah Jazz Denver's big man narrowly edges Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo in what will likely end up as one of the closest MVP races in history. Yet here we are in 2022, with NBA style of offense moved to the perimeter like never before. January 18, 2022 5:27 PM. Jonathan has worked extremely hard to return to the court this season and has demonstrated his impact on our team. Phoenix's ironman leads Rudy Gobert and Marcus Smart in the final ranking of the NBA's best defenders. Though bigs tend to make larger defensive impacts, some voters longed for another perimeter player to claim the award. 2013-14 Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls And Bostons defense, like its season, was split into two parts. 1 spot. All Rights Reserved. Jaren Jackson Jr. -200Brook Lopez +700Nicolas Claxton +700Bam Adebayo +700Giannis Antetokounmpo +2500Evan Mobley +3300Jarrett Allen +4000Joel Embiid +4000OG Anunoby +4000. Marcus Smart is the first guard to be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year since Gary Payton in the 1995-96 season. 7 and 8 seeds in the East and West. Over the last few weeks, the NBA awards have been a hot topic of discussion around the NBA world. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year. 1, Defensive Player Ladder: JJJ leads the way, Defensive Player Ladder: Lopez becomes new No. June 9, 2021 6:06 PM. Look back at the winners of every NBA award, All-NBA team and more in NBA history. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Kia MVP Ladder: Jokic finishes season at top, Kia Rookie Ladder: Mobley beats Barnes, Cunningham, Defensive Player Ladder: Bridges finishes No. Jaren Jackson Jr. -200. He's also second in the league in blocks per game (2.3) and adds 0.8 steals per game. She now gets to add to the list of . With 6'11 tall and 215lb weight, he has great defensive potential. Somewhat surprisingly, though, his counting stats are the worst theyve been since his rookie year. Greg Willard Spirit Award; NCAA Season Awards. Although five of the first six winners were perimeter players, the award has traditionally been given to big men who rebound and block shots. 2 in the latest ranking as Memphis' Jaren Jackson Jr. also joins the group. He is as long as the game's biggest bigs, yet able to cover ground laterally and, with that triple-jump stride, longitudinally with the swiftest of the little guys. Gobert defends the most attempted . RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote. Curry and the Warriors would have a record-setting season in 2016 but lose in the Finals in the greatest upset in NBA history. Yeah, injuries stink. A lot of the candidates are big men, which isn't unusual given their ability to lock up the paint and prevent easy baskets from being converted at the rim. 5 points for every first-place vote. By Kurt Helin Oct 13, 2021, 1:03 PM EDT. 121. Only Utahs massive Mark Eaton (7-foot-4, 275) got in there twice with the likes of Michael Jordan, Michael Cooper, Alvin Robertson and Sidney Moncrief, who won the first two DPOYs in 1983 and 1984. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Looking at Smart though, he became the first guard to win the DPOY award since Gary Payton did so in 1996 and the actual voting for this award turned out to be pretty close. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Finalists announced for 2021-22 NBA awards, Defensive Player Ladder: Bridges finishes No. 2017-18 Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Voting) Suns/Grizzlies8:00 PM ET, NBA TV pic.twitter.com/0bR5k8FvFl. The Jazz center takes over the No. Check out our top NBA futures odds for the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. Lopez anchors Milwaukees stout defense, which is one of two units that rank ahead of the Grizzlies by defensive rating. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. With a defensive score of 104.4, Evan Mobley is one of the best defensive players this season. Despite a conspiracy theory regarding perceived discrepancies in Jacksons home/away statistical splits (which has since been debunked), his case for the recently renamed Hakeem Olajuwon award is very real. More https://t.co/VpKETU9caP Its worth remembering that five of the first six DPOY awards, and seven of the first nine, went to guards or wings. NEW YORK Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been named the 2021-22 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the NBA announced today. In honor of being named the 2022 Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Wilson will receive $5,150 and a specially designed trophy from Tiffany & Co.