By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
For the first time in his career, Jaren Jackson Jr. has been named Defensive Player of the Year, the second Memphis Grizzlies player to win this award following Marc Gasol in 2012-13, winning the newly named Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy.
He got a total of 391 votes (56 first-place votes), followed by Milwaukee Bucks’ Brook Lopez with 309 total votes, and Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley with 101 total votes. After winning it in the 2019-20 season, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished in the 6th place with 14 total votes.
“Team defense really helps us. It goes a long way. They’ve instilled the confidence in me to be aggressive offensively, but really unleash me defensively to go out there and do whatever”, Jaren Jackson Jr. commented on his winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
The Memphis Grizzlies big man has been averaging 18.6 points and 6.8 rebounds, leading the league with 3.0 blocks per game, and is currently playing against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Playoffs First Round.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images