Golden State Warriors power forward/center Draymond Green finished second for the second straight season in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He received 421 total points and 44 first-place votes. Coming in third is Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside who posted 83 points on two first-place votes.
Both players had fantastic seasons with Green serving as the heart of the record-setting Warriors and Whiteside leading the NBA in blocks with 3.68. But neither was consdiered the top overall defensive player this year.
That honor goes to San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, who has claimed his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award. The rangy Leonard received 547 points and 84 first-place votes from a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters.
Green actually received more first-place votes Leonard last year (45 to 37) but still finished in second place overall.
Full voting from NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Draymond (44) and Whiteside (2) also received first-place votes. pic.twitter.com/XJuM7z4kbZ
— Matt Dollinger (@matt_dollinger) April 18, 2016
The Spurs led the league in points allowed per game (92.9) during the regular season, a full three points lower than the second-place Utah Jazz (95.9). The team ranked fourth in opposing field goal percentage (.436) and first in opposing three-point percentage (.331). San Antonio boasted a defensive rating of 94.9 with Leonard on the court and 99.2 when he sat, one of the greatest disparities in the league. On his own, Leonard ranked fifth in the NBA in Defensive Real Plus-Minus as the only non-power forward or center in the top 25. He totaled 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game to go with his career-high offensive averages of 21.2 points, 2.6 assists and .443 from three-point range. Leonard's impressive season was enough to merit him his first All-Star team honors this season.
The best argument for Kawhi DPOY is that no one dares to go at him. The best argument for Draymond is that everyone does and fails. — Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) April 18, 2016
Leonard is only the second perimeter player in NBA history to win the award in back-to-back years, joining Milwaukee's Sidney Moncrief in 1982-83 and 1983-84, which were the first two seasons the award was handed out. Leonard is the first non-big man to be named the DPOY since Ron Artest in 2003-04.
What is perhaps most impressive about Leonard's versatile defensive capabilities is that he is still just 24 years old. The current all-time leaders in DPOY awards are Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace with four statues apiece. Leonard, with two already to his name, could conceivably dethrone them in the next couple seasons. However, he'll continue to face some stiff competition from the likes of Green, Whiteside, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and others.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
