NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Prediction and Pick: Stick to What Works
NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Prediction and Pick: Stick to What Works
Following the NBA All-Star game on Sunday, we're about halfway through the NBA season. So, it's a great time to look at some awards futures and get some picks while there is still value to be had. Handicapper Josh Gayle breaks down his pick for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and it's a familiar face.
Rudy Gobert @ +180 (Bet $100 to win $180)
Odds available at DraftKings at time of publishing
Gobert is widely known as the best defender in the league. He was won the awars in 3 of the past 4 seasons and is on pace to do so again. Gobert is leading the NBA in rebounds and is 2nd in blocks behind Myles Turner but Turner could be shut down the remaining 22 games to not risk furthering injury in meaningless games. I think +180 is great value for a guy who’s so consistent at getting it and is having another outstanding year.
A major factor that made me bet on this is Utahs success with him vs when they’re without him. Utah has a 6-8 record when Gobert misses the game but they are 30-14 when he plays. I feel like that should definitely play a factor into the voters minds when assessing who’s the most valuable defensive asset to their teams. Rudy Gobert has missed 14 games which isn’t exactly ideal but he won the award in 2017-2018 while only playing 56 games and recieved 89 of a possible 101 first place votes. He also won in 2019-2020 receiving 84 votes and only played 68 games. I think he’s the odds on favorite for a reason and won’t be deemed ineligible due to missed time unless he suffers another injury going forward.
His top two competitors are Draymond and Giannis. Although it may sound controversial, I dont think Green has a chance. Draymond has only played 34 games and yesterday said during his broadcasting duties that his goal is to return in four weeks. If he were to wait four weeks until returning he would maybe play another 10-12 games and although I gave Rudy the pass at playing 56 games I believe only playing 45 is a significant difference as your barely over half of the games on the season. As for Giannis, I think he has a small shot but he isn’t top 10 in blocks per game, isn’t top 5 in rebounds per game and isn’t even top 60 in steals per game. Although the award goes deeper than that it’s still worth noting and you would hope the recipient of this award could at least be top 5 in one of those categories. I like Gobert for +180 and my only concern is his ability to stay healthy, I think now’s the time to strike.