The Whiteboard: Rethinking Defensive Player Of The Year for the 3-point era

A big man is going to win DPOY. Again.

It is almost definitely going to be Victor Wembanyama, thanks to his mind-boggling 4.0 blocks per game along with 1.2 steals and 10.8 rebounds per game.

He shapes the game defensively like he’s just crumpling up the paper opposing teams’ offenses are written on.

Jaren Jackson might have an outside chance thanks to his stellar moments and superior on-court defensive rating with Memphis a top-five defensive team.

If the Cavaliers were to make a wild defensive run, Evan Mobley could sneak into the conversation.

Rudy Gobert will get votes, again, and rightly so.

But most likely it will be Wembanyama or one of these other big men.

Can I ask a question?

Why?

Yes, protecting the rim is crucial to great defense. If you have an elite rim protector, you can force opponents to that help and they will clean up the drive. Without rim protection, teams can just attack, force help and generate whatever they want.

Yes, rebounding is literally ending a possession, the most important part of a defensive possession.

Yes, steals and blocks help, even if many bad defenders have put up steals and blocks.

It all makes sense.

But in a league where the 3-pointer is so prevalent and so important that there is talk of literally rewriting the rules to prevent so many of them and where the reigning NBA champions lead the league in three-point makes per game … why isn’t perimeter defense important at all?

All five of the best defenses in the league, schedule-adjusted, are top five in either opponent 3-point rate or 3-point percentage.

Ball-handlers still dictate terms in the NBA even with Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the MVP conversation.

Guarding the perimeter is also harder than it has ever been. Those who are elite at it are way more impactful.

So it won’t happen, but if we rewarded perimeter defense correctly, who would be leading DPOY?

I looked at the perimeter defenders who had defended the most plays individually via Synergy Sports with the best defenses in the league, and here are some key names.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: No kidding. I know it’s wild from the MVP leader who I get is not the best defender on his own team. But SGA actually has a lower opponent points per possession allowed than his cohorts, and he’s third in steals per game. The Thunder are the best defense, by a mile. Yeah, you could give it to Dort. But it’s really committee for Dort, Alex Caruso, and Cason Wallace. SGA is legitimately in this convo.

2. Amen Thompson: A second-year bench guard? But yes, look at the facts. Top 10 defense. The Rockets allow just 1.05 points per possession with Thompson on the floor. He allows just 0.86 points per possession individually (per Synergy Sports). He gets assigned the toughest defensive matchups to close every game. He’s the best individual defender on an elite defense.

3. Quentin Grimes: Opponents are shooting 24.8 percent from 3 against Grimes this season. He’s filled in to keep Dallas afloat with their defense despite Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving injuries.

4. Kris Dunn: The Clippers’ starting two-guard is a beast. He’s averaging 1.6 steals per game and the Clippers allow just a 104 defensive rating with him on-court.

5. Nickeil Alexander-Walker: On a team with great defenders, NAW is making a huge impact this season.

These players won’t win DPOY but if you dig in? There’s a real argument to be made.

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NBA news and rumors roundup:

• The Cavaliers — four days after toppling the Thunder and their winning streak — finally saw their own winning streak end at 12 games as Indiana’s hyper-paced offense caught them napping on Sunday. The Cavs shot 11-of-41 from 3-point range while the Pacers’ bench ran wild.

• Boston survived another close game at home, sneaking past the Pelicans by just a point. Boston’s looking wobbly, but maybe it’s just the championship team coasting.

• The Knicks demolished the Bucks behind 44 points from Jalen Brunson. Great bounceback from the Knicks after the OKC loss.

5 NBA Trade Deadline thoughts:

1. Are we sure Milwaukee isn’t going to do something drastic? Whenver things have looked sluggish and the Giannis heat turns up, they have made a big move. I just continue to wonder if Milwaukee will want to do something big at the deadline.

2. Detroit is reportedly moving away from taking on contracts for assets and wants to try and upgrade the roster. But trying to figure out what they need beyond more consistent shooting is tough. Good spot for a team that had a 28-game losing streak last year.

3. The team that will fill that role in taking on contracts? The Charlotte Hornets. If you like the Hornets, get ready to learn a lot of second-rounder names.

4. Expect Sacramento to continue waving its wares, especially Kevin Huerter to try and make an upgrade even with their post-Mike-Brown-firing surge, especially with Keon Ellis playing such a big role.

5. Minnesota is the other team I think might be in line for a big move. That’s speculative, but there are signs they need a shakeup with their starters, and it’s not Julius Randle. More on that later this week.