Jaren Jackson Jr. entered March as the odds on favorite for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award. That changed this week after Brook Lopez swatted fourteen shots over his last two games. Lopez blocked nine shots last Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets. He followed that with a five block performance versus the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. The outbursts shifted the Defensive Player of the Year odds. Bettors can find expert analysis on NBA futures and find daily NBA bets using OddsShopper’s tools.
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NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds: Brook Lopez, Jaren Jackson Jr.
Per DraftKings:
Brook Lopez -120
Jaren Jackson Jr. -110
Bam Adebayo +1000
Giannis Antetokounmpo +2200
Evan Mobley +2500
Anthony Davis +4000
Marcus Smart won the 2021-22 DPOY award handily, beating out Mikal Bridges by a significant vote margin. However, Smart’s defensive numbers have regressed this year as the Celtics added more all-around defenders, leaving room for new names at the top of the NBA DPOY odds board.
Enter Jaren Jackson Jr. The Memphis Grizzlies forward has progressed in every season of his five-year NBA career. He has posted career highs this year, averaging 3.2 blocks per game and 1.0 steals. Jackson has also posted an average of 6.6 rebounds per contest.
Those numbers elevated Jackson to the top spot on the Defensive Player of the Year odds board for much of this season, but they weren’t strong enough to withstand Brook Lopez’s two-game block party this week. Lopez nearly recorded a triple-double on Thursday with 24 points and ten rebounds to go along with his nine blocks.
He blocked four more in the Milwaukee Bucks next game, an overtime lost versus the Warriors.
Experts and bettors quickly took notice of Lopez’s play. ESPN’s front office reporter tweeted out several of Lopez’s statistical highlights after the performance.
Couple of quick hitters on Defensive Player of the Year candidate Brook Lopez
Per Second Spectrum tracking
?Leads the NBA in total blocks and total contested shots
?Ranks in the top-5 in FG% allowed in the paint as the contesting defender
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) March 12, 2023
With analysts and bettors looking on, Lopez is now -120 to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. Jaren Jackson is right behind at -110. They are followed by Bam Adebayo (+1000), Giannis Antetokounmpo (+2200), Evan Mobley (+2500) and Anthony Davis (+4000).
Marcus Smart trails dramatically at +30000 odds, nearly insuring that there will be a new NBA DPOY award winner for the 2022-23 season.
NBA bettors should keep checking out OddsShopper for more news on this betting market and other top NBA bets throughout the season. OddsShopper Premium subscribers can get access to the top NBA bets throughout the league on a nightly basis.
