The award has become less about the year and more about a stretch
On February 20, the NBA’s award race for Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) was opened up. Victor Wembanyama was announced out for the season with deep vein thrombosis diagnosed in his right shoulder. Wemby was the odds-on favorite to win the award, not only this season, but probably in the decade to come. This was an opportunity to seize an award that could be in Wemby’s possession for however long he is on an NBA roster.
It appeared to be a three-horse race from that date onward. The candidates were Jaren Jackson Jr from the Memphis Grizzlies, Dyson Daniels from the Atlanta Hawks, and Evan Mobley from the Cleveland Cavaliers. It didn’t take long for Mobley to assert his defensive prowess and capture the eyes of the voters and oddsmakers.
Something has transpired since then; it appears that a new challenger has entered the arena. This challenger is a very familiar name, is known as loud, has a media platform, and a tough guy persona. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is now the odds-on favorite to win the DPOY award.
Now, if you are feeling like this is coming out of nowhere, you would be right. Green spent the majority of the season on a middling Warriors team that, after a hot start, was treading water. Never once for months has the name even been in the watercooler discussion for the award, even amongst Warriors fans.
The pivot point for the conversation seems to have coincided with the acquisition of Jimmy Butler. Since adding Green, the Warriors have righted the ship, having one of the better defenses and looking closer to a second-round contender than a play-in question mark.
The discourse is becoming all too familiar. As with all award races, people become bored and get caught up in the whirlwind of angles and arguments being tossed around. Why is Mobley losing steam in this award?
Maybe it’s because he doesn’t advocate for himself publicly. Green is bombastic, loud, and a very public persona. Even before he launched his podcast, you didn’t have to wonder what Green was thinking at any given moment.
Between Green campaigning how he should have won previous awards (i.e, losing to Rudy Gobert on multiple occasions) and Udonis Haslem coming out from the depths to slander Mobley on national tv for no reason, Mobley’s candidacy is being overlooked simply because he isn’t boisterous.
In the same sense that life mimics art, it proves that sports discourse mimics real-life conversations. We are seeing right now in the world that you don’t necessarily need to be right to reach people, you just need to be loud enough that no one can ignore you. Green is hitting all the right notes to grab notoriety. The campaign is predicated on a bunch of narratives and media discourse, straying away from statistics and reason that would invalidate his case.
No stats out there will prove that Mobley isn’t the deserving winner. And if he loses the award, it isn’t because of any dip in play. It’s because Mobley is staying true to his authentic self. Some players would be producing droves of award propaganda, similar to Timothée Chalamet this past Oscars season. Mobley won’t.
If these are the reasons that Mobley loses out on the DPOY, it’s less about how he dictates opposing offensive possessions and more about how he doesn’t defend himself on the national stage.