DPOY = JJJ

[W8ting2McHale]

Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. won Defensive Player of the Year. Not a surprise to me. I would love to see him in green.

I know Marcus Smart regressed this year, but I don’t even see his name in the Top 10. Was he really that bad? Usually guys that win MVP and other awards hang around 5-10 at least.

Are voters hating on Marcus after giving the award to a guard last year? I know he wasn’t playing like a Top 5 defender, just surprised he is basically getting ignored now.

[Moranis]

I thought it should be Lopez as JJJ fouls too much, but congrats to him.  Youngest ever to win the award.

[smokeablount]

Good for JJJ. I don’t think he really played enough minutes to win this award, but I’ve always liked him.

I remember years ago we did an under 25 player draft where I think the top 3 were Luka, Tatum & Towns, and I was the first to nominate JJJ getting selected. I still think he has more untapped potential on offense.

[W8ting2McHale]

I guess Marcus Smart really did fall off a cliff this year?

He wasn’t in the Top 10 defensive player voting and it doesn’t look like he’s going to get any votes for the All Defensive Team either. Isn’t that uncommon? He was DPOY last year and the 1st guard to win since The Glove. Don’t players usually get votes based off reputation for a year or two after winning an award?

Maybe it’s time to move on from Marcus after all? He’s adequate as a PG, but defense is his calling card. If he’s no longer a top defender then maybe White, Brogdon and JD are enough? The team plays well enough with them running the show. Bring Yam over for another tryout and see what you can get for Marcus?

[Csfan1984]

After the stats scandal surprised they gave to JJJ. He doesn't deserve it this year.

[Who]

After the stats scandal surprised they gave to JJJ. He doesn't deserve it this year.

What is that?

[BitterJim]

After the stats scandal surprised they gave to JJJ. He doesn't deserve it this year.

What is that?

There was a whole thing after a reddit post found an unlikely discrepancy between his home and away stats and attributed it to an overly friendly home scorekeeper, but when some of the major NBA reporters looked into it they found that the home scorekeeper was reporting correctly. So if anything, his stats were being undercounted on the road

[Atzar]

I guess Marcus Smart really did fall off a cliff this year?

He wasn’t in the Top 10 defensive player voting and it doesn’t look like he’s going to get any votes for the All Defensive Team either. Isn’t that uncommon? He was DPOY last year and the 1st guard to win since The Glove. Don’t players usually get votes based off reputation for a year or two after winning an award?

Maybe it’s time to move on from Marcus after all? He’s adequate as a PG, but defense is his calling card. If he’s no longer a top defender then maybe White, Brogdon and JD are enough? The team plays well enough with them running the show. Bring Yam over for another tryout and see what you can get for Marcus?

Smart missed a lot of games and spent a lot more being fairly ineffective.  It's not surprising that he hasn't gotten votes this season.

As for whether it's time to move on... I'm torn.  On one hand, our depth at guard is a big reason why we were able to reach the playoffs in a pretty good state of health.  And Smart is certainly a part of that.  Also he's Jaylen's closest friend on the team, so that's a thing to keep in mind with regards to keeping JB around long-term.  On the other hand, he didn't have a very good year and I question how well he'll age.  If we can move him for a quality big man who can approximate what Horford does for us, then I'd have to do that.  I've grown confident in White's ability to be our starting point guard and Horford is really the only piece in the rotation with a looming expiration date. 

[Celtics2021]

After the stats scandal surprised they gave to JJJ. He doesn't deserve it this year.

What is that?

There was a whole thing after a reddit post found an unlikely discrepancy between his home and away stats and attributed it to an overly friendly home scorekeeper, but when some of the major NBA reporters looked into it they found that the home scorekeeper was reporting correctly. So if anything, his stats were being undercounted on the road

Or, more likely, he plays better at home, which is true for most players, and especially younger ones.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

He didn't deserve it at all. He doesn't play enough. He jumps and reaches constantly, compromising the integrity of the defense and getting fouls called on him that require he sit out for large portions of the game.

Few would take JJJ as the anchor to their defense before players like Giannis, or Davis, or Holliday, or even Embiid. Heck, I'd even take Bam, OG, or Gobert as my defensive anchor before him. I might even look at Bridges, Lopez, Mobley, or Gordon first too. The award is a joke this year that I won't acknowledge.

I've watched enough Memphis games to know that very few players are afraid of JJJ or gameplan in a way to avoid his rotations on offense. He may not even be the best positional defender on his team (Brooks) or the best rim protector on his team (Adams).

This feels more campaigny and narrative-based than I've ever seen, and I think its a gross manipulation and exploitation of the game to get an award. It's in the same realm as Monte Ellis' stat hunting or Ricky Davis' missed layup to get a triple-double.

Like I said, I won't acknowledge this award this year, or I will give it an asterisk every time I talk about it.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

JJJ fouls a lot (or so I've heard). Seems like he's getting this award based mainly/mostly on blocks? Is he actually a great all-around defender?

[Moranis]

JJJ fouls a lot (or so I've heard). Seems like he's getting this award based mainly/mostly on blocks? Is he actually a great all-around defender?

he gambles a lot, but he is very athletic and even when he gambles wrong can often make up for it, though that is also why he commits so many fouls.  Memphis was the 2nd best defense in the league and he is clearly their best defensive player so I'm sure that helped JJJ.  I do think he fouls too much and he did only play in 63 games so I wouldn't have given it to him.  I think Brook Lopez was more deserving.  He played in 78 games, anchored a top 5 defense, and was still an excellent shot blocker with a much lower foul rate.