Defensive Player of the Year: Jusuf Nurkic
Even as the Bosnian Beast’s offense has made strides, his defense has remained just as strong and consistent as ever. He currently leads the Blazers in blocks (1.4), steals (1.1), and defensive rebounds (7.0) per game. His dominance also bears itself out in advanced defensive metrics too: he also leads the team in defensive win shares (2.3), defensive box plus-minus (+4.1), and individual defensive rating (104).
Going further, he is the Blazers’ clear rim-protector. Within six feet of the rim, opponents shot 8.1 percentage points worse when contested by Nurkic. This difference in field goal percentage ties Joel Embiid‘s and ranks 21st in the league among the 94 players who are 6’10” or taller and have appeared in more than 20 games.
Portland’s backcourt likes to play aggressive around the perimeter to force opponents into the lane, making them choose between a midrange pull-up or meeting Nurkic down low. Without such a competent defensive anchor, the club’s entire defensive scheme would fall apart.
Runner-up: Al-Farouq Aminu
Al-Farouq Aminu is the cop-out choice for this award. Even when playing poorly, his defensive presence often justifies his staying on the floor. Take this excerpt from Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney’s most recent Top 100 Player Rankings, where Aminu placed 81st:
"“Aminu (9.3 PPG, 7.6 RPG) is the elastic band that holds a top-10 defense together. If you prefer a conservative defensive style—as the Blazers do—then Aminu can muck up passing lanes and slow down top-scoring forwards. If you’d rather rely on switching, he’ll float from opponent to opponent without missing a beat…”"
The bulk of Aminu’s value lies on his defensive ability. And because he is often slated with guarding the club’s toughest matchups (LeBron James, LaMarcus Aldridge, even Nikola Jokic occasionally), his stingy defense can appear less effective than it really is. If only we could see him play against average-level NBA players for a whole year…
His counting stats, like steals and rebounds, are down slightly from last year while his rebounds are up. His box plus-minus has remained the same (+1.1), but his defensive win shares have taken a hit (1.7 vs. 3.2).
Still, even with that hiccup, he has remained a pest on defense this year. He currently leads the team in deflections with 2.1 per game.
Statistically, Maurice Harkless and Zach Collins make decent cases for this award. However, Harkless has appeared in only 28 games this year, and Collins has been too inconsistent throughout.
Although Aminu’s defense hasn’t necessarily popped this year, he remains an integral part to the club’s identity on that side of the ball.