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Another week of NBA action has passed and teams around the league are starting to heat up. It's been an exciting start to the 2021-22 NBA season, which has featured a number of fascinating storylines for basketball fans to monitor.
Various teams have started to generate some buzz around the league as a few of the top contenders have started to show their pedigree. In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns continue to be the talk of the basketball world with their dominant play throughout the opening months. The Brooklyn Nets have started to look like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference as they find themselves at the top of the standings. With another week of NBA games behind us, it's time to look at the updated Defensive Player of the Year power rankings by Sportskeeda.
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No. 5: Joel Embiid
Previous week’s NBA DPOY Power Ranking - N/A
Last Week: Games played - 2; Games won - 0; Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 20; Games won - 13; Games lost - 7
Last Week: PPG - 24.5, APG - 5.5, RPG - 11.5
Overall: PPG - 30.0, APG - 5.3, RPG - 11.0
Last Week: FG% - 48.5%, 3P% - 25.0%, FT% - 88.2%
Overall: FG% - 50.0%, 3P% - 23.1%, FT% - 87.1%
As the Philadelphia 76ers continue to battle up the standings in the Eastern Conference, the superstar big man has been outstanding with his play on the court. As of now, the Sixers currently find themselves with an overall record of 16-15 this year and have won five of their last ten games. After a strong start to the season, the 76ers will now look to attempt to climb up the ranks in the East. If they are going to accomplish that, then it's going to be because of the play of big man Joel Embiid.
The Sixers superstar is having another sensational year when it comes to his production on the court. In his last week of games, Embiid went on to average 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. What has been even more impressive is the type of consistency that Embiid has had over the course of the season. For the entire year, the dominant big man is averaging 30.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Embiid will continue to be a name to keep an eye on when it comes to the Defensive Player of the Year award as well as he's averaging 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
No. 4: Mikal Bridges
Previous week’s NBA DPOY Power Ranking - #4
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 3; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 30; Games won - 25; Games lost - 5
Last Week: PPG - 12.8, APG - 2.3, RPG - 3.5
Overall: PPG - 12.3, APG - 1.9, RPG - 4.0
Last Week: FG% - 47.4%, 3P% - 35.0%, FT% - 88.9%
Overall: FG% - 51.6%, 3P% - 38.6%, FT% - 86.0%
As the NBA season continues to march on, the Phoenix Suns continue to be the talk of the basketball world with their strong play on the court. One of the reasons the Suns have had success this year has been the improved play of young wing Mikal Bridges. Although Bridges won't have some of the eye-opening stats that other players on this list might have, he's quickly become one of the top defensive weapons throughout the NBA.
Bridges stands out on the court with his length and quickness, and he has the ability to defend multiple positions at a high level. While a number of players on the Suns might fill up the box score, Bridges' impact cannot be understated as he's often assigned the role of guarding the opposition's best player. Bridges looks like he is going to be a perennial Defensive Player of the Year contender throughout his career. In his last week of games, Bridges went on to average 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 47.4% from the field.
Also Read: What is Joel Embiid’s Current Contract?
No. 3: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Previous week’s NBA DPOY Power Ranking - #3
Last Week: Games played - 1; Games won - 0; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 26; Games won - 17; Games lost - 9
Last Week: PPG - 20.0, APG - 3.0, RPG - 8.0
Overall: PPG - 27.0, APG - 5.8, RPG - 11.6
Last Week: FG% - 50.0%, 3P% - 0.0%, FT% - 75.0%
Overall: FG% - 52.9%, 3P% - 28.0%, FT% - 68.1%
After a slow start to the 2021-22 NBA regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks have started to climb the rankings and make some noise in the Eastern Conference. One of the main reasons for this has been due to the dominant two-way play of superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Although Giannis was recently placed in the league's health and safety protocols, he's still been one of the game's top two-way players so far this year.
The Milwaukee Bucks have started to creep up the rankings in the East and currently find themselves with an overall record of 19-13 this year. When Giannis has been on the court, he's been a terrifying force on both sides of the ball. So far this year, Giannis is currently averaging 27.0 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. He's also making some noise as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, as the superstar forward is averaging 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.
No. 2: Rudy Gobert
Previous week’s NBA DPOY Power Ranking - #2
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 1; Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 30; Games won - 21; Games lost - 9
Last Week: PPG - 15.7, APG - 2.0, RPG - 13.7
Overall: PPG - 15.4, APG - 1.1, RPG - 15.0
Last Week: FG% - 77.3%, 3P% - N/A, FT% - 61.9%
Overall: FG% - 72.3%, 3P% - 0.0%, FT% - 69.3%
Although a number of teams in the Western Conference have started to capture the attention of the basketball world, the Utah Jazz have quietly maintained a foothold in the standings. The team currently finds itself with an overall record of 21-9 and big man Rudy Gobert has been a major reason why. Utah has won eight of their last ten games and are becoming a team to pay close attention to moving forward.
Rudy Gobert has found himself near the top of the Defensive Player of the Year rankings throughout the year and his production has been too impressive to ignore. Gobert is known for his shot blocking ability, and he has also been a force on the glass for the Jazz this year. The Utah big man is currently averaging 15.4 points, 15.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game this season. If Gobert can continue this type of production, he's going to become a serious contender for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
No. 1: Draymond Green
Previous week’s NBA DPOY Power Ranking - #1
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 3; Games lost - 0
Overall: Games played - 29; Games won - 24; Games lost - 5
Last Week: PPG - 9.7, APG - 6.7, RPG - 8.3
Overall: PPG - 8.4, APG - 7.4, RPG - 8.0
Last Week: FG% - 54.5%, 3P% - 20.0%, FT% - 66.7%
Overall: FG% - 55.4%, 3P% - 29.0%, FT% - 59.7%
The Golden State Warriors have continued to be the talk of the basketball world this season with their strong play on both ends of the floor. Although the team has had a number of impressive contributors when it comes to the offensive side of the game, veteran forward Draymond Green has been sensational defensively. Known for his talent as an elite defender, Green has started to take his all-round game to another level for the Warriors as of late.
As the Warriors continue to put together impressive stretches of performances, the hype surrounding Draymond Green as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate continues to gain traction. So far this year, Draymond is currently averaging 8.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. If Draymond can continue to show this type of production on offense as well as defense, he's going to be a popular selection for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
