NBA Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) 2021 - Latest Power Rankings - May 19th
Our final power rankings for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award have arrived and they remain as close as ever. Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz and Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers did an exceptional job of keeping the race as intriguing as possible and will ultimately split opinion among the ballots.
Both are worthy of the award in equal measure, though have considerably differing tasks each night. Gobert is tasked with being the Jazz' imposing threat at the rim to deter opponents from driving the lane, while Simmons can guard any opponent from one through five.
Their teams head into the postseason as the highest-ranked in their respective conferences, in large part due to their contributions.
Final power rankings for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year
Our power rankings for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year have been dominated by centers this season. While Joel Embiid has dropped out, Clint Capela has taken his place. The Atlanta Hawks big man finished the season as the highest rebounder and will be a good matchup for the New York Knicks' stiff defense in the playoffs.
Aside from Capela, our DPOY rankings have stayed the same. While Simmons probably possesses a wider variety of defensive skills, Gobert vastly outclasses him in the stats and may have had one of the best years on defense the league has seen.
#5 Clint Capela
MP - 30.1, RPG - 14.3, BPG - 2.0, SPG - 0.7, DWS - 3.3, DBPM - -0.2
Previous NBA DPOY Power Ranking - N/A.
The No.5 spot in our NBA Defensive Player of the Year power rankings has been up for grabs for numerous weeks and it finally falls to Clint Capella. After being the only player to average over 14 boards per game this season, the Atlanta Hawks big man finished the year as the rebounding champion.
He was largely responsible for keeping the Atlanta Hawks' defensive efficiency respectable and has gone under-the-radar in his contributions to helping them achieve the fifth seed.
Capela was one of only four players during the campaign to average two blocks per game and had an impressive +/- of 4, which was the second-highest of any Hawks player. When he was on the floor, Atlanta scored 9.8 points more per 100 possessions than when he was on the bench.
#4 Giannis Antetokounmpo
MP - 33.0, RPG - 11.0, BPG - 1.2, SPG - 1.2, DWS - 3.3, DBPM - 2.6
Previous NBA DPOY Power Ranking - 4th (-).
Although the Milwaukee Bucks have been off the pace defensively this term, Giannis Antetokounmpo remains one of the greatest threats to their opponents' offense. The Greek's 7"3' wingspan makes him a menace in the lane and at the rim - he was one of only 11 high-volume players to grab one steal and one block per game during the season.
Then there is the discussion of what he can also do on offense, which far eclipses the effect that each of the other players on this list have. This bears some reflection on his defensive standing since his net-rating ranked 8th in the league (6.7) and he had an on/off court rating of 9.8.
#3 Bam Adebayo
MP - 33.5, RPG - 9.0, BPG - 1.0, SPG - 1.2, DWS - 3.2, DBPM - 1.9.
Previous NBA DPOY Power Ranking - 3rd (-)
Bam Adebayo was a stalwart in the Miami Heat defense as they finished the season having won 17 of their last 25 matchups. During that time, they ranked third for the fewest opposition points allowed in the paint and conceded the fewest fast break points. Both of those stats lend themselves to the strides Adebayo has made in his game, developing his ability to defend in transition and protect the basket during pick-and-roll situations.
The 23-year-old has become far more comfortable defending smaller guards and is one of the more versatile bigs in the game. He has shown this year that he can defend the likes of Kyrie Irving. However, he will face a very different prospect when matched up against the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ranked 2nd for the most fouls drawn.
Having two contenders for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award facing off in a first-round series will be extremely intriguing.
#2 Ben Simmons
MP - 32.4, RPG - 7.2, BPG - 0.6, SPG - 1.6, DWS - 3.3, DBPM - 1.9
Previous NBA DPOY Power Ranking - 2nd (-)
There is no denying that Ben Simmons is one of the top, if not the top, on-ball defenders in the league. However, his stats don't quite jump off the page in the same way that Rudy Gobert does, which means he misses out in our power rankings for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
Simmons' tasks per night are far more laborious than Gobert's, often picking up the opposition's best talent. This is due to the fact that he is one of only few players that can truly guard one through five due to his size and athleticism. This year, he grabbed 1.6 steals and ranked fifth for deflections. However, it is his stats away from the box score that make him believe he is worthy of the award. For us though, that time is not this year.
#1 Rudy Gobert
MP - 30.8, RPG - 13.5, BPG - 2.7, SPG - 0.6, DWS - 5.2, DBPM - 2.5
Previous NBA DPOY Power Ranking - 1st (-).
There could only be one winner for the DPOY trophy this year. The Utah Jazz big man - Rudy Gobert - was the anchor of his team's defensive solidity this season. So much so that when the Frenchman was on the court, their defense was 11.9 points better off. He had the fourth-best defensive rating of all high-volume players (100.9), grabbed the most defensive rebounds (10.1) and had the second-best defensive win share in the league.
It is no surprise that the Jazz finished with the best record, with Gobert orchestrating their defensive schemes. He has built a reputation in the league as one of its premier defenders after winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award twice already. This could be his best performance yet though, with one of the best on/off splits in recent history.
Opponents have to think twice when attacking the lane after Gobert averaged 2.7 blocks this campaign, his highest ever. Looking ahead to the postseason, his leadership will be essential to Utah's hopes of winning a championship.