OKC Thunder See 3 In Top 6 of NBA Defensive Player of Year Odds

The Oklahoma City Thunder see three players rank in the top six of Defensive Player of the Year Odds after Victor Wembanyama's season-ending injury as the NBA Award race opens up.

Feb 12, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrate after a play against the Miami Heat during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

On Thursday, the NBA world was shocked to learn that Victor Wembanyama would be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder. Wembanyama is a superstar in the making and many view him as the next face of the NBA.

The unicorn big man was waltzing his way to an uncontested Defensive Player of the Year award, perhaps without a vote against him in a wire-to-wire leader in the clubhouse. Though, with this injury, Wembanyama will no longer be eligible for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award, opening up the race and forcing voters to pivot with just 28 tilts left.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have turned in a historic season to date on the defensive side of the floor which helps them own the best net rating in league history coming out of the NBA All-Star Break.

Though, the OKC Thunder's defensive success is not built on the back of one player. Plenty have a claim to be the team's most valuable defenders as seen in the updated Defensive Player of the Year Betting odds by FanDuel.

Jaren Jackson Jr. (-125) is the favorite for the hardware, with Evan Mobley (+130) placing second and Lu Dort (+1500) third. Oklahoma City has three of the top six favorites with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+2000) at fourth and Jalen Williams (+25000) in sixth.

This could actually serve as a detriment to the Oklahoma City Thunder as each of the trio has a solid case to take home the award, causing a split vote to knock them all out of the picture. However, the OKC Thunder deserve a player to take home the hardware based on the team's output. It is just tough to decide who.

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