Jalen Suggs, Domantas Sabonis receive NBA Defensive Player of the Year votes
Jalen Suggs and Domantas Sabonis were among the 10 players to receive a vote for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. The former Gonzaga standouts had one third-place vote each.
Suggs, who also finished eighth in the Most Improved Player race, averaged 1.4 steals (ninth-most in the NBA) and finished top 20 in defensive rating, a stat that estimates points allowed per 100 possessions. The third-year pro also had the 18th-best defensive box plus/minus, which is similar to a defensive rating but accounts for a player’s contributions above a league-average player.
Suggs’ energy and relentless ball pressure helped set the tone for a young Orlando Magic (47-35) team that ranked No. 3 in defensive rating and allowed the third-fewest points per game this season. Orlando made the playoffs as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference before bowing out in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers after losing Game 7 earlier this week. Suggs was second on the team in playoff scoring at 14.7 points per game.
Perhaps the most surprising player to receive a vote for defensive player of the year was Sabonis, who’s more known for his offensive versatility than anything else. The 28-year-old received as many votes as Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s likely to be named to his sixth All-NBA defensive team, despite not finishing near the top of the leaderboards in most statistically categories associated with defense. However, Sabonis finished fifth in defensive box plus/minus and led the NBA in rebounds.
Sabonis is nothing short of a lock to earn All-NBA honors in back-to-back seasons after another historic campaign with the Sacramento Kings. The seven-year pro put up 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game as the league's leader in triple-doubles (26) and double-doubles (77).
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert took home the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award for the fourth time in his career, tying him with Basketball Hall-of-Famers Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo for the most all-time. The 6-foot-11 Frenchman was sixth in blocked shots and second in rebounds per game, while the Timberwolves boasted the league’s top-scoring defense and they held opponents to the lowest field goal percentage.
Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo finished third in voting. The former Kentucky standout is the only player to have been in the top five of the defensive player of the year voting in each of the last five years.
The complete voting results for the 2023-24 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/SpApbyUUw2
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 7, 2024
COLE FORSMAN
Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Nation, a member of Sports Illustrated’s FanNation network. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.