At the point when the NBA declares its season awards, there’s ordinarily an award show that accompanies it. This season, however, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards are being reported irregularly through the span of the postseason. Coach of the Year has just been reported, with the Toronto Raptors’ Nick Nurse getting the award, and on Tuesday evening the league made Defensive Player of the Year winner known to the general population.
In the wake of completing in second place a season back, Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo won the league’s top defensive prize in landslide fashion. The reigning MVP got 75 of the 100 first-place votes, with Lakers’ All-Star big man Anthony Davis coming in second place with 14 first-place votes.
Antetokounmpo’s effect on the defensive end of the floor stays Milwaukee’s whole defense, and remaining at 6-11 he’s ready to monitor basically every position on the floor. He can get out and threaten guards on the wing, and make bigs in the post pay with his absurd wingspan. He becomes only the second Bucks player to win Defensive Player of the Year, the first on being Sidney Moncrief. The four-time All-Star gets elite organization together with this award, becoming only the fifth player in NBA history to be named both the league MVP as well as DPOY. The other four players in that club are Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Kevin Garnett.
When Giannis was given the award by colleague Brook Lopez, he promptly expressed gratitude toward his partners and family.
“I want to thank my family for always motivating me and supporting me and being there for me win or lose,” Giannis said. “I want to thank Coach Bud, the coaching staff for bringing the best out of us every single night. I want to thank my teammates, without my teammates this wouldn’t be possible. I know that my name is on this trophy, but it could be any of these guys name on this trophy.”
With Giannis on the floor, the Bucks permitted simply 96.5 points per 100 possession, which is the least defensive rating of any major part in the league (min. 15 minutes for every game). He permitted rivals to shoot simply 36.5 percent from the floor, per the NBA, which likewise positions the most minimal of any player in the league. He led the league in defensive success shares (5.0), averaged a career-high in rebounds (13.6), all while leading the Bucks to an league-best 56 successes this season.
Antetokounmpo might win some extra hardware when Most Valuable Player is declared later on during the postseason. If he somehow happened to be named MVP for the second continuous year, he would join Jordan and Olajuwon as the only players allied history to win the two awards in a similar season.
