The time has come to talk about the awards of the season. Well, the truth is that it is done almost from the first games of the course, but it is now when the debate takes heat.
Leaving aside the MVP, perhaps the most important award is Defensive Player of the Year. This, perhaps framed within a category of specialist that is being diluted somewhat in the NBA in favor of the total player, marks that player who has most influenced his team by preventing the rival from scoring. Yes, we talk about a job that is not very appreciated or appreciated at times (it is said that in the NBA it does not defend itself) but without which we can say that no team would have been champions.
Returning to what concerns us, this year, there are candidacies that have been falling down the road like that of Anthony Davis, whose injury leaves him directly out of the game. Then there are others, like Giannis Antetokounmpo (last season’s winner) who seems to have lost momentum as the Bucks aren’t being as dominant as they once were. With the two of them out, Bam Adebayo sounded good and Marcus Smart looked like a legitimate contender, but the course of the season seems to have shot two names above the rest: Rudy Gobert and Ben Simmons.
The Philadelphia 76ers player, perhaps aware of such a circumstance, has focused his candidacy right on the face-to-face with the pivot of the Jazz; more exactly to February 15 in which they faced each other in Utah. That night Simmons was defended at times by Gobert, who could not prevent his rival from reaching 42 points (the highest score of his career). The final victory was for Utah, but Simmons is worth it as an argument.
“I am one of those guys who can defend all five positions. Obviously, I have a lot of respect for Rudy. I know what it is capable of. I know he’s great in painting, but he can’t stand up for everyone, and that’s a reality. He protected me in Utah… and I finished with 42 points. And apparently, I’m not a scorer; so … things are as they are. But I have a lot of respect for him and, at the same time, I think the award should be mine this year, ”she tells Rachel Nichols of ESPN.
Simmons talks about objective data, but it is only about one game. Gobert will still have arguments to be considered the best by averaging 2.8 blocks and, more importantly, taking the defensive level of the team when he is on the court until he receives only 102.3 points received per 100 possessions (without him the Jazz go to 111.6). Of course, there are also statistics to support Ben Simmons such as his 1.6 steals per game, having Philadelphia as the second best defense in the NBA or being the one who touches and deflects the most balls in the League. It is time to wait to see who is the chosen one.
(Photograph by Harry How / Getty Images)