Reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown drops one-word reaction on $20,256,917 player's 2 DPOY awards suggestion

Jaylen Brown thought he was one of the NBA’s best defenders despite not earning an All-NBA Defense team selection last season. He was an integral part of the Boston Celtics’ championship-winning campaign with his two-way impact. Besides doing his part on offense, he was the Cs’ primary defender against Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.

In “The Young Man & The Three” podcast, the OKC Thunder's Jalen Williams shared his thoughts about the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award. The emerging star, who signed a four-year, $20.2 million rookie contract in 2022, has started to turn heads with his defense this season. He said the league should hand out the DPOY to a guard and a big.

Jaylen Brown reacted to Williams’ comments on X:

“Agreed”

In the podcast, Williams said a big and a guard play defense differently. He gave New Orleans Pelicans defensive ace Herb Jones as an example.

Williams claimed that Jones is considered in NBA circles as a top-five defensive player without leading the league in steals. For the Oklahoma star, it seems like the DPOY is purely based on blocks, which favors big men.

The NBA began awarding the Defensive Player of the Year honor in 1983. Sidney Moncrief (twice), Alvin Robertson, Michael Jordan, Michael Cooper, Gary Payton and Marcus Smart are the only guards to win the DPOY. 25 seasons passed between Payton lifting the trophy in 1996 and Jaylen Brown’s teammate Smart bagging the honor in 2022.

The NBA’s best defensive big men have won the DPOY award multiple times. Rudy Gobert, Ben Wallace and the late Dikembe Mutombo have four each. Hakeem Olajuwon, for whom the DPOY was named after in 2023, has two.

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Jaylen Brown and Jalen Williams have impressed on defense this season

Jaylen Brown followed up his stellar defensive play last season with another outstanding performance this year. NBC Sports Boston reported that JB has limited the field goal percentage of most stars he has guarded. Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Zach LaVine, Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards shot less efficiently when Brown was their primary defender.

Meanwhile, Jalen Williams is perhaps the unsung hero in the OKC Thunder’s defense, the best in the NBA. When Chet Holmgren went down with an injury and the frontline was decimated by injuries, Williams played center. Holmgren remained out, but Isaiah Hartenstein returned to anchor the paint protection. Still, Williams has thrived as an undersized power forward.

Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics are strong favorites to return to the NBA Finals. Jalen Williams and the OKC Thunder could meet them there. The two could gain more recognition with their underrated defense.