NBA Defensive Player of the Year: December 1st, 2021 | Latest Power Rankings by Sportskeeda

The 2021-22 NBA season continues to march on, and we've seen impressive performances from many teams across the league.

The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors continue to battle for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference is also shaping up to be a challenging one. Teams such as the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat are battling for the top spot.

Many players, especially defenders, have started to make some noise across the NBA. The Defensive Player of the Year is proving to be an award that is going to have plenty of talented suitors. On that note, here's a look at this week's Defensive Player of the Year rankings.

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#5 Mikal Bridges

Phoenix Suns wing Mikal Bridges is starting to make some noise.

Previous week’s NBA DPOY Power Ranking - N/A

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 4; Games lost - 0

Overall: Games played - 21; Games won - 18; Games lost - 3

Last Week: PPG - 9.8, APG - 2.3, RPG - 5.0

Overall: PPG - 12.4, APG - 1.9, RPG - 3.9

Last Week: FG% - 55.2%, 3P% - 16.7%, FT% - 100.0%

Overall: FG% - 53.8%, 3P% - 39.1%, FT% - 84.0%

Phoenix Suns wing Mikal Bridges makes his debut appearance in the Defensive Player of the Year power rankings at fifth spot this week.

The Suns have continued to be one of the hottest teams in the NBA, as they haven't lost a game since October 23rd. The obvious stars in the team have done a great job carrying the load offensively. But Bridges has started to generate some serious buzz around the NBA, with his elite defensive plays.

The young forward is a dominant force, with his combination of length and quickness as a defender. Bridges has quickly started to build a reputation around the NBA as one of the top young wing defenders in the league.

With the Suns continuing to put together long stretches of victories, expect the buzz around Bridges and his defensive ability to only get louder.

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#4 Anthony Davis

LA Lakers forward Anthony Davis

Previous week’s NBA DPOY Power Ranking - #2

Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 1; Games lost - 2

Overall: Games played - 22; Games won - 11; Games lost - 11

Last Week: PPG - 22.3, APG - 3.0, RPG - 8.0

Overall: PPG - 24.3, APG - 3.0, RPG - 10.0

Last Week: FG% - 48.1%, 3P% - 33.3%, FT% - 54.5%

Overall: FG% - 51.8%, 3P% - 19.6%, FT% - 72.8%

After finding his way near the top of the Defensive Player of the Year power rankings in the last few weeks, LA Lakers forward Anthony Davis is in fourth place in this week's rankings.

Davis continues to be an impactful presence, with his performances on both sides of the floor. He has continued to be a lethal shot blocker for the Lakers, and his defensive versatility makes him a special defender on a nightly basis.

The Lakers continue to try and get back on the right track, and climb up the rankings in the NBA Western Conference. Davis will have to play a key role if they are to accomplish that.

In his last week of NBA action, Davis averaged 22.3 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting at 48.1% from the field.

#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetkounmpo

Previous week’s NBA DPOY Power Ranking - #4

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 4; Games lost - 0

Overall: Games played - 20; Games won - 13; Games lost - 7

Last Week: PPG - 23.8, APG - 6.0, RPG - 10.3

Overall: PPG - 27.0, APG - 5.9, RPG - 11.8

Last Week: FG% - 63.2%, 3P% - 18.2%, FT% - 60.0%

Overall: FG% - 52.6%, 3P% - 27.7%, FT% - 67.2%

After struggling with injuries in the early portion of the NBA season, the Milwaukee Bucks have quietly started to climb up the rankings in the Eastern Conference.

The team has won their last seven games in a row, and eight of their last ten. One of the main reasons for that has been the two-way play of superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. As the Bucks start to find their groove, Antetokounmpo has continued to put up impressive production across the board.

In his last week of play, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.0 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game while shooting at 63.2% from the field.

The Milwaukee Bucks found themselves near the bottom of the standings only a few weeks ago. But they are quickly climbing up, and the performances of Giannis Antetokounmpo is a major reason for that.

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#2 Draymond Green

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green

Previous week’s NBA DPOY Power Ranking - #3

Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 3; Games lost - 0

Overall: Games played - 20; Games won - 17; Games lost - 3

Last Week: PPG - 10.0, APG - 8.7, RPG - 7.0

Overall: PPG - 8.2, APG - 7.7, RPG - 8.0

Last Week: FG% - 55.0%, 3P% - 0.0%, FT% - 72.7%

Overall: FG% - 55.1%, 3P% - 31.6%, FT% - 60.0%

The Golden State Warriors continue to be one of the most impressive teams in the NBA this season.

The Warriors have been firing on all cylinders on the offensive side of the ball, but they have started to become a dangerous team defensively as well. The key to that has been the performances of Draymond Green. As the Warriors continue to shine on the court, Green has started to put together some impressive numbers on both sides of the floor.

In his last week of NBA games, Draymond averaged 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. As the Warriors continue to make noise as potential NBA championship contenders, the defensive brilliance of Draymond Green is only going to get louder as well.

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#1 Rudy Gobert

Brooklyn Nets vs Utah Jazz

Previous week’s NBA DPOY Power Ranking - #1

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2

Overall: Games played - 21; Games won - 14; Games lost - 7

Last Week: PPG - 13.3, APG - 0.8, RPG - 12.0

Overall: PPG - 15.1, APG - 1.0, RPG - 14.5

Last Week: FG% - 75.0%, 3P% - N/A, FT% - 65.4%

Overall: FG% - 73.1%, 3P% - 0.0%, FT% - 66.7%

Another week of NBA Defensive Player of the Year power rankings features Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert in the top spot.

Gobert has simply been too impressive throughout the opening months of NBA action this season. He has been a dominant presence at both sides of the floor, and has started to put up some impressive numbers as a rebounder as well.

The Utah Jazz quietly continue to progress up the standings in the Western Conference. The team finds itself 14-7 on the season, good enough for third place.

Rudy Gobert impressed last week with his performances for the Jazz. He averaged 13.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game while shooting at 75.0% from the field. He could be tough to catch in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year power rankings this season. But he's going to have plenty of competition to deal with.