John McCoy/Icon Sportswire
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award always seems to provoke intense debate among fans. Over the past few seasons, Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert has won the award multiple times, as the 2023-24 season was the fourth time he’d won it in seven years. While Gobert is tough to compete with when it comes to this award, there are certainly plenty of guys who are ready to claim the throne, like preseason favorite Victor Wembenyama.
Below, we'll compare the prices for the top defensive players in the league across multiple premier sports betting apps.
Player | Opening odds | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor Wembenyama | -250 | -180 | -190 | -250 | -200 |
Rudy Gobert | +900 | +1100 | +1200 | +1300 | +1000 |
Chet Holmgren | +2200 | +1600 | +1500 | +1400 | +1400 |
Bam Adebayo | +1600 | +1200 | +2000 | +1200 | +1500 |
Evan Mobley | +2000 | +1600 | +3000 | +2000 | +2000 |
Jaren Jackson Jr. | +1800 | +1800 | +2000 | +2000 | +1800 |
Anthony Davis | +1800 | +2000 | +2500 | +2000 | +2000 |
Giannis Antetokounmpo | +1600 | +2000 | +6000 | +5000 | +2800 |
OG Anunoby | +2500 | +3000 | +4000 | +4000 | +3300 |
Alex Caruso | +5000 | +3000 | +4000 | +5000 | +4000 |
*odds as of August 29, 2024
Victor Wembenyama (-180 to -250): Wembenyama went into his rookie season with sky-high expectations, and as the season went on, he proved more and more that he's a superstar in the making. On the defensive end, Wembenyama's average of 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game led to him being a first-team all-defensive selection, and had him finish second in DPOY voting. With how the odds currently sit, it's clear that sportsbooks expect the Spurs big man to take an even bigger step in his defensive development this season.
Rudy Gobert (+1000 to +1300): Over the last ten seasons, only two players have won multiple Defensive Player of the Year Awards, Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gobert. For Gobert, his win this past season gave him his fourth DPOY since 2017-18. While Gobert has continued to be a strong defensive presence down low, leading the league in defensive win shares with 5.8 this past season, there has never been a player like Wembenyama who could truly end his extended dominance with this award.
Chet Holmgren (+1400 to +1600): In his rookie season, Chet Holmgren proved that he is a valuable piece of Oklahoma City's young core. Sure, Holmgren may not have received a single vote for Defensive Player of the Year last season, but he did have a 7.3% block percentage and 4.4 defensive win shares. Holmgren has not yet reached his full potential on either side of the floor, so it's hard to imagine he goes another season without receiving votes.
Bam Adebayo (+1200 to +2000): Bam Adebayo averaged less than one block per game this past season, but he still managed to make such an impact on that end of the floor that he finished third in DPOY voting. The Miami big man had the third-best individual defensive rating in the league this past season (109) and 4.3 defensive win shares, but for as good as those numbers are, he's going to need to be even more of a presence this season if he wants to keep pace with Wembenyama.
Season | Player | Team | Opening odds |
---|---|---|---|
2023-24 | Rudy Gobert | Minnesota Timberwolves | +2000 |
2022-23 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Memphis Grizzlies | +2000 |
2021-22 | Marcus Smart | Boston Celtics | +4000 |
2020-21 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz | +300 |
2019-20 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | +400 |
2018-19 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz | +163 |
2017-18 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz | +325 |
2016-17 | Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | +550 |
2015-16 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs | +550 |
2014-15 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs | N/A |