The deep vein thrombosis that curtailed Victor Wembanyama’s second season during the All-Star break not only dashed the San Antonio Spurs’ aspirations for the playoffs and temporarily sidelined the NBA’s most celebrated young talent, but it also disrupted the race for the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Wembanyama, who placed second in the voting last year during his rookie season, appeared to be the leading contender this time. However, the league’s collective bargaining agreement stipulates that candidates for major awards must participate in at least 65 regular-season games (or a minimum of 62 in the case of a season-ending injury). Wembanyama, having played just 46 games before being sidelined, does not qualify for the award this year.
This games-played criterion also excluded other notable defensive players from consideration, such as Alex Caruso of the Oklahoma City Thunder (54 games), Anthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks (51 games), Dorian Finney-Smith of the Los Angeles Lakers (63 games), Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets (51 games), Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics (62 games), Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic (35 games), and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons (59 games).
Additionally, players like Jonathan Isaac of Orlando, who qualified by playing 71 games, were disqualified due to a further requirement—that players must log at least 20 minutes in 63 games and two other games between 15-20 minutes.
This led us to ponder: With the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) competition more open than it has been in years, who should emerge as the winner when the results are revealed Thursday night on TNT?
The three finalists for the 2024-25 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award:
▪️ Dyson Daniels of @ATLHawks
▪️ Draymond Green of @warriors
▪️ Evan Mobley of @cavs pic.twitter.com/32gTy5KMXi— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 20, 2025
For deeper insight, we consulted with 13 NBA head and assistant coaches and asked them to share their first, second, and third-place votes anonymously, ensuring candid feedback without the concerns of team repercussions. Coaches were instructed not to vote for their own players and to focus solely on those eligible for the league’s official awards.
In the polling conducted by The Athletic, the results favored Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, who secured first place with 42 points and six first-place votes. He significantly outpaced second-place Luguentz Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who garnered 24 points and four first-place votes, while Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors came in third with 18 points and two first-place votes.
Daniels, obtained from New Orleans in a trade last July, led all qualified players in steals at an impressive 3.01 per game, the highest average since the 1990-91 season. At just 22 years old, he has become a standout perimeter defender, earning the nickname “The Great Barrier Thief.” Coaches highlighted his instincts and disruptive playstyle as key attributes that make him an elite defender in the league.
