After the brutal injury to the Defensive Player of the Year favorite Victor Wembanyama, this leaves the race for the award wide open. The Thunder, who have the league’s top-ranked defense, could see defensive menace Luguentz Dort win it. This is not likely though, as the voters will overlook him for one main reason.
Why Luguentz Dort Will Not Win Defensive Player of the Year
The short answer is that he does not average enough steals or blocks. Some players he is going against for the award are averaging close to, or more than, two steals or blocks. Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of those players averaging just under two blocks. Jalen Williams is another player who could win, as he is averaging 1.7 steals. Even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can win with his impressive 1.9 steals per game. Where does Dort line up with all these guys? He is averaging just 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. These are numbers that do not jump out at all.
These are career highs for the Oklahoma City enforcer. The problem is that they are not good enough numbers. The past two winners averaged either over two blocks or steals a game. The last guard to win was Marcus Smart in the 2021-22 season. The guard before him to win was Gary Payton way back in the 1995-96 season, where he averaged three steals a game. The odds are not in Dory’s favor to win this year, even with Wembanyama out for the season. The award is favored for centers and forwards, and he is not averaging enough steals for voters to take notice.
Why Dort Should Win
The best defense in the NBA should have some members on the All-Defense teams, and the best defender should win Defensive Player of the Year. That best defender is Dort. He is often tasked with guarding the other team’s best player and does a good job. You do not earn the nickname “The Dorture Chamber” without being a nightmare on defense for opponents.
A prime example is when he guarded Luka Doncic in the Western Conference Semifinals. Yes, the Thunder would lose the series, but Doncic averaged under 25 points this series. When facing the DPOY in the next series, who was Rudy Gobert, Doncic would average 32 points. This shows he can shut down some of the world’s best scorers, or at least limit them. Another example came in the first round of the playoffs when he was tasked with guarding Brandon Ingram. The former Pelicans forward would shoot an abysmal 34.5 percent from the field and 25 percent from long-range. It was indeed a nightmare for Ingram in the playoffs because of who guarded him.
These are not the statistics voters will look at when they vote for the award though. They are mainly going to look at blocks, rebounds, and steals when they decide on a winner. Even though Dort is considered one of the league’s top defenders, and believes he deserves to win, he will not because of how many steals and blocks he averages. It is just too low of a number. Instead, Thunder fans best hopes for winning the award now depend on Shai or Jalen Williams.
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