Who wins what: NBA's 2017-18 Mid-Season Awards

Defensive Player of the Year: Al Horford, Boston Celtics

Al Horford

So we've gotten used to the Boston Celtics being among the top teams in the league, almost forgetting sometimes that they are playing without an All-Star - Gordon Hayward. Through 45 games, they are 34-11, cruising through most of the wins but quite a few of them are close calls.

So how do you win games when you are missing a very important offensive piece? You play good, hard, defense and always keep yourself in the game. That's what the Celtics have done. Their defense is the best in the league with a rating of 99.7.

And while Kyrie Irving carries the team in late-game situations with his offense, the veteran Al Horford is the team's anchor on defense. He's versatile to an extent and helps the team to play an efficient small-ball by playing the center position. Although a more glamorous name (Kevin Durant) has some backing for this award, it's currently Horford's to lose.

What makes Horford the frontrunner are injuries to the perennial frontrunners - Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gobert. Draymond Green hasn't been as assertive this season as previous season and there's no real matter to Durant's case other than his blocks average.