The NBA announced on Monday that Memphis Grizzlies’ center Jaren Jackson Jr. is taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2022-23 season.
Jackson received 56 first-place votes from a panel of 100 voters and had a total of 391 points. He edged out Milwaukee Bucks’ big man Brook Lopez, who finished second with 309 points and 31 first-place votes. Other players to receive first-place votes were Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley (8), Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (3), Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo (1), and Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (1).
Jackson, who averaged a league-leading 3.0 blocks per game in 2022-23, is the second-youngest NBA DPOY in the history of the league at 23 years and 214 days. Only Dwight Howard, at 23 years and 128 days, was younger when he got the award.
Jackson is considered the key reason for the Memphis Grizzlies’ third-ranked defense that allowed 110.7 points per 100 possessions in the regular season. However, Michigan State remained humble when asked about his contributions, crediting the team effort for his success.
“Team defense really helps us. It goes a long way,” Jackson said after hearing the news that he won the DPOY.
Besides bringing a stellar defensive presence, Jackson also took a step forward in other areas of his game in 2022-23. He finished the regular part of the campaign averaging career-highs in points (18.6) and rebounds (6.8).
