NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Odds

Only 28 days remain until the 2022/23 NBA season starts and with the new season approaching fast it is time for us to give out our Defensive Player of the Year predictions.

After upsetting the odds and becoming the first point-guard to win the award since Gary Payton did it back in 1996, it will be Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics looking to defend his crown as the best defensive player in the NBA.

However, that will be no easy task and the bookmakers tend to agree with that as Smart just barely makes the Top 10 list of favorites to win the award this upcoming season.

• Rudy Gobert (+450)
• Bam Adebayo (+700)
• Robert Williams (+750)
• Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1000)
• Draymond Green (+1400)
• Mikal Bridges (+1600)
• Anthony Davis (+1600)
• Marcus Smart (+2000)
• Evan Mobley (+2400)
• Joel Embiid (+2400)

For some odd reason Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat often gets overlooked when it comes to this award, despite anchoring one of the best defenses we have in the NBA. His team finished 4th in defensive rating last season and Bam certainly contributed to that with his 10.1 rebounds and often guarding the opponent's best player. He has all the neccesary skills for a big man to win this award and he is also only 25 years old, which is exactly how old Rudy Gobert was when he won his first award. One major factor in Adebayo's case are injuries – last season he missed a total of 26 games which simply cannot happen if he wants to have a case to win DPOY honors. At +700 odds I think he presents the best value to win this award.

At +1600 odds you'd think Anthony Davis would be an outsider pick for this award, but guess again. The only reason he is ranked so poorly with the bookmakers are injuries, over the past 2 season he has played a total of just 76 games, far too little to have any impact on his team, let alone be a candidate to win such an award. But, things can turn around quickly in his favor if he is able to stay healthy this season. We've seen countless videos of him working out this summer and preparing for another run at the title alongside LeBron James. Anthony Davis is so talented that if he puts his head into it, he definitely has the potential to win this award. New head-coach Darvin Ham is defensive oriented and if he can work his magic similarly to what he did with the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo, it could be a historic season both for the Lakers and Davis individiually.

Evan Mobley is definitely the first player that comes to mind when you think of outsider picks to win this award. If you ask me, he has the potential to win multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards in the foreseeable future, but the question remains – is he ready heading into only his 2nd full season as an NBA player? The motivation will definitely be there after the Cavaliers missed out on the playoffs by losing both play-in tournament games. Mobley has the length to deal with most 7-footers we have in the NBA, plus he is also capable of stepping out on the perimeter and slowing down the opponents best player if needed. All in all, together with Jarrett Allen down low I think the Cavaliers will have one of the best defensive numbers this season, especially after they added Donovan Mitchell which should in theory also take some of the offensive pressure off of Mobley allowing him to fully focus on becoming an elite defender this season.

Although he isn't even in the Top 10 favorites according to the bookmakers, I think Matisse Thybulle also deserves a shout at +6500 odds to win the DPOY award. Yes, his role was diminished during the playoffs last season, but I think Thybulle has the opportunity to turn things around if he is given the right opportunity. In a lot of ways he reminds me of Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns – his reputation around the league is as one of the best defensive wings capable of stopping anyone on a given night. It's also worth mentioning that Sixers’ president Daryl Morey has been making a case for him on social media to win the DPOY for quite some time now, so why not consider him as a dark horse to win the award?

We will be covering the whole of the NBA this season, with our NBA sports betting experts selecting the best NBA picks & parlays.

You can stay up to date with our latest NBA picks & tips through out website and on our Twitter account (@FlashPicks).