Could Mikal Bridges or Ben Simmons be in Defensive Player of the Year Race Again?

Simmons placed second in 2021, followed by Bridges being runner-up in 2022.

All of the Victor Wembanyama hype has many people wondering how many Defensive Player of the Year awards he will capture in this upcoming decade. The rookie finished second in voting for the honor last season, guaranteeing that he is one of the top favorites to win the award as soon as next season.

The Brooklyn Nets have two players in Ben Simmons and Mikal Bridges who have finished as runner-ups for Defensive Player of the Year -- in 2021 and 2022 respectively. They have been overshadowed to win the award themselves by Wembanyama's defensive statement.

Although neither Bridges nor Simmons has finished in the top three for Defensive Player of the Year votes since 2022, who is more likely to get back in the race in the 2024-25 campaign?

Last season, Bridges wrapped up the campaign with a 117.9 defensive rating and 81 steals in the impressive 82 games he played. Rudy Gobert, the recipient of the 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year, ended his season with a defensive rating of 104.4 to go with 2.1 blocks per game.

As for Simmons, he averaged 0.6 blocks and stole the ball 12 times in 15 games last season. His defensive rating was convincingly lower than Bridges, notching a defensive rating of 112.3 for the campaign. Simmons' biggest challenge to becoming a runner-up again for Defensive Player of the Year will be his durability.

As long as he doesn't get injured, he will look to get his defensive rating to around 106.1 once more, which was Simmons' defensive rating the year he finished as a runner-up for the Philadelphia 76ers. The Nets point forward could certainly keep up with Bridges steal tally by season's end and there's no doubt he has the advantage for blocks.

Moving forward in this modern-day NBA with Wembanyama and Gobert, blocks will be the most crucial factor in winning the award.

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