NBA 2017-18: 5 Defensive Player of the Year candidates 

#5 DeAndre Jordan

DeAndre Jordan at the 2017 Los Angeles Clippers Media Day

Last year, alternating injuries to Chirs Paul and Blake Griffin took a toll on the Clippers in the regular season. That subsequently impacted the defensive prowess of DeAndre Jordan because they were so focused on trying to run some amount of offense through him, which is not his game.

Although the team has lost Paul, the front office has done a good job to acquire sufficient talent in return. A balanced roster, that is also versatile, pivoted around Blake Griffin, possibly playing point forward, should bring Jordan's defense back into the talking points after each game.

A defensive center is only as good as his teammates are on the wing. Fantastic defensive centers look dismal if they are forced to guard on the perimeter. Adding Patrick Beverly, a highly regarded defender, to their roster should also boost Jordan's case to be on this list.

Even last year, which was considered a down season, Jordan was in the top 10 players for defensive rating.