On NBA.com’s “Hang Time Podcast,” Channing Frye discussed why he thinks Portland Trail Blazers forward Robert Covington will be a bonafide Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2020-21.
The hubbub surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers has been resounding over the last few weeks. Everything from the Most Valuable Player award on down feels unusually within grasp, given the talent Portland enters the 2020-21 season with.
On yesterday’s edition of the NBA.com’s Hang Time podcast, veteran NBA writer Sekou Smith and former Blazer player Channing Frye discussed the possibility of an award that feels almost sacrilegious to discuss in Blazers vernacular:
The Defensive Player of the Year award.
Portland’s biggest splash of the offseason came in acquiring Robert Covington, a do-it-all forward just three seasons removed from an All-Defensive First Team selection. Frye offered a proactive, interesting viewpoint on why Covington could be in the thick of the race come balloting time, when Smith asked about the Defensive Player of the Year in the Western Conference:
"“I’m gonna mess around and go Robert Covington. And here’s why: it’s cause he’s going to have to guard everybody. And I think this team is going to get a little more notoriety for when they get better on defense. Right? Houston is like, they don’t care about defense. That’s the mindset. Except for P.J. (Tucker) and Robert (Covington).”But when you put him on a team like the Blazers, who I think were 27th last year … if they go to 15th or 12th, he’s going to get all the love, regardless of what everyone else is going to do. So, they’re going to say, ‘Look at this impact he’s making on the Blazers.’ And if the Blazers are the top-three or four, they’re going to say, ‘Okay, they’ve got to give it to this guy.’”"
It gets intriguing the more you glean into it. In recent years, panelists have rewarded consistency, which means awards have gone to players who’ve anchored defenses perennially, year-after-year.
But, there are recent examples of a defender helping his team make a monumental jump, and being rewarded for it.
In 2010-11, the Knicks’ No. 22-ranked defense jumped to No. 5 with the addition of Tyson Chandler (and Mike Woodson), or Kevin Garnett taking the Celtics from No. 16 in 2006-07 to the top perch in 2007-08.
That versatility could play a major role. Looking at BBall Index’s player profile data, only Draymond Green was as versatile when it came to defending positions, and Covington’s +1.50 D-PIPM scales well with that.
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He was No. 27 in post-up defensive possessions last season, has isolation chops on defense, and was one of just five players leaguewide with 200 stocks (steals + blocks) in 2019-20.
One of the players in that exclusive group, Anthony Davis, would’ve been a popular selection for the Defensive Player of the Year out West.
Frye says that he doesn’t see Davis being as aggressive, since new addition Dennis Schröder won’t be allowing blow-bys, or as many opportunities for Davis to need to protect the rim.
In whichever case, it promises to be an intriguing one. In its existence, the Blazers have had four Rookie of the Year winners, one Sixth Man of the Year winner, three Most Improved Player of the Year winners, two Coach of the Years, and even a Most Valuable Player in the regular season and the Finals.
But they remain one of 12 teams without a Defensive Player of the Year winner. This year marks arguably their best chance at such since, perhaps 1999-00 with Scottie Pippen.
Chalk it up as another one of the riveting subplots of the Portland Trail Blazers and their upcoming season. For those interested in the rest of the excellent discussion, the link to the Hang Time podcast can be found above.