NBA Awards Odds – Leonard, Green 2017 DPOY Faves

On the heels of a pretty down season in Houston, it’s hard to remember that Dwight Howard used to be a one-man wrecking crew in the post … at both ends of the floor. Howard is the only player to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year three times in a row (2009-11). Next year, San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard will have the chance to match that mark. Kawhi had his struggles against Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in the 2016 playoffs, but he’s still the favorite to three-peat.

Who’s going to challenge the former Aztec for the throne atop his weird, blocky pyramid?

2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year Odds

Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs): 4/1

Leonard will have a golden opportunity to enter the history books as the second man to win three straight as long as he plays the way he did last year. His basic stats don’t pop (6.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game), but he goes one-on-one against the best player on the other team almost every night (unless it’s a true big-man). His long reach and height give all but the rangiest scorers (like Durant) headaches, and voters are apt to reward his consistency and versatility again.

Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors): 6/1

Green has been the runner-up two straight years. Like Leonard, he can defend a wide swath of the league, handling post players and some quicker, perimeter studs. He snatched nearly ten boards per game (9.5) last year – by far the highest of his career – and added 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks a night. In the end, Leonard remains the favorite because San Antonio wins with defense; it’s an afterthought in Golden State.

Hassan Whiteside (Miami Heat): 8/1

Hassan Whiteside is the classic big man who cleans up all the trash near the basket. He dominated the glass with 11.8 RPG last year (third in the NBA), and led the league in blocks by a wide margin (3.7 BPG; DeAndre Jordan was second at 2.7). His game is still growing, but it was already good enough to finish third in voting last year. Until Leonard won the last two, this award had gone to a big-man every year since Ron Artest won in 2004.

Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets): 13/1

Since leaving Orlando, Dwight Howard hasn’t been the dominant player he once was. But he’s either going to be in new digs next year or back in Houston with a new coach. Either way, he could be poised for a rejuvenation. (Whoever the Rockets tab as their new boss will be preaching tougher D from day one.) If Howard brings back his old mojo, he’s got a shot at his fourth trophy, but that’s a big if.

The Field:

• DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers): 15/1
• Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons): 18/1
• Tony Allen (Memphis Grizzlies): 20/1
• Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans): 20/1
• Andre Iguodala (Golden State Warriors): 45/2
• Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls): 25/1
• Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies): 30/1
• Paul Millsap (Atlanta Hawks): 35/1
• Avery Bradley (Boston Celtics): 40/1
• Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz): 45/1

(Photo Credit: Keith Allison (Draymond Green) CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)