Philadelphia 76ers: Blue Coats' Christ Koumadje Named NBA G League DPOY

The Delaware Blue Coats might be disappointed that the NBA G League's season has ended prematurely. But the Coats and the Philadelphia 76ers can be thrilled with the fact that their rookie center Christ Koumadje has been named the G League's Defensive Player of the Year during his debut season on the block.

After wrapping up the season prematurely, the Blue Coats finished out the year with a record of 22-21, which ranked sixth in the G League's Eastern Conference. Despite nearly falling below .500, it was far from a disappointing season for Delaware.

As the purpose of the G League is to allow young and inexperienced players to develop their game, the Blue Coats had a few players who had individual seasons worth paying attention to. And the big man, Christ Koumadje, was one of them.

The seven-four 23-year-old rookie out of Florida State had quite the season on the defensive side of the ball. In 33 games this year, Koumadje played an average of 26.4 minutes. While his 11.3 points-per-game was impressive, his average of 7.1 defensive rebounds and 4.2 blocks-per-game made the big man a clear standout at the developmental level and an obvious candidate for the G League's Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Koumadje's Delaware teammate, Norvel Pelle, scored the NBA contract midway through the 2019-2020 season for his impressive rim protection at both levels. But if Koumadje can make another run at the DPOY award in the G League next season, it will only be a matter of time before he gets an opportunity in the big league.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_