Bucks Zone

Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. beats out Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez for the Defensive Player of the Year award

Bucks big man Brook Lopez settled for second place in the race for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Matthew Dugandzic

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The Memphis Grizzlies’ man in the middle, Jaren Jackson Jr., was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, beating the Milwaukee Bucks center, Brook Lopez, for the highly-coveted award. Jackson, who averaged a league-best 3.0 blocks per game, received 56 first-place votes, while Lopez got 31.

Second Memphis big man to receive the award

The 23-year-old became the second Memphis ace to win the award, following Marc Gasol, who won the honors a decade ago. Jackson received 391 voting points to beat out Lopez and third-placer Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Team defense really helps us. It goes a long way,” said Jackson, as the Grizzlies finished as the second seed in the tough Western Conference. Jackson also gave plenty of credit to the team’s coaching staff for trusting him with the responsibility of making plays on both ends of the floor.

“They’ve instilled the confidence in me to be aggressive offensively — but really unleash me defensively to go out there and do whatever,” Jackson said.

Close, but no cigar

Lopez received a total of 309 voting points—31 first-place votes, 47 second-place, and 13 third-place—to finish in second for the Hakeem Olajuwon trophy. The anchor of a feisty Bucks defense, Lopez swatted away 193 shots this season, which was the best mark in the league this season.

Lopez’s Bucks teammates Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday also received votes for the Defensive Player of the Award, garnering 14 and 8 voting points, respectively.  

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.