With Kawhi Leonard limited to nine games by quadriceps tendinopathy and Draymond Green not defending at his typical level, this year's NBA Defensive Player of the Year choice has taken on a different look. Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz also missed 26 games, but has been the best defender while on the court. Is that enough to lift him over the other candidates?
Read on for my choice as well as picks for the two All-Defensive Teams and three other honorable mentions at every position.
As usual, my choices are informed both by watching more than 200 games this season and the available defensive statistics from Second Spectrum, NBA Advanced Stats, CleaningTheGlass.