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NBA Award Watch: Nikola Jokic is moving mountains

By John Buhler

March 10, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic (15) looks on during the first half against the Boston Celtics at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
March 10, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic (15) looks on during the first half against the Boston Celtics at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 5, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) celebrates after scoring a basket against the Sacramento Kings to send the game into overtime at Golden 1 Center. The Utah Jazz defeated the Sacramento Kings 110-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) celebrates after scoring a basket against the Sacramento Kings to send the game into overtime at Golden 1 Center. The Utah Jazz defeated the Sacramento Kings 110-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert

Defensive Player of the Year is quickly resolving into a two-man race out of the West Coast. Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green had been the front-runner until very recently.

The Warriors’ slide after Kevin Durant’s injury has allowed Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert to usurp him as the new front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year. Gobert’s Jazz are going to make the Western Conference Playoffs, either as the No. 4 or No. 5 seed. They’ll be a formidable matchup for Golden State or San Antonio in the Western Conference Semifinals should they get that far.

Gobert leads the NBA in Defensive Win Shares (4.9) and blocks per game (2.5). He is second in Defensive Box Plus-Minus to only Green at 4.4. Gobert has been the anchor of a strong Jazz defense that has a realistic, but finite Western Conference Finals ceiling.

Elite rim protection like Gobert offers can be undermined in the small ball era of the NBA. With the sluggish pace that Utah plays at, it allows Gobert to play unencumbered defense on the other end of the floor. He will be key in how far Utah goes in the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

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