Jaren Jackson Jr. is fully confident in his case of bagging the Defensive Player of the Year this season.
“I definitely think I’m Defensive Player of the Year,” Jackson told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I just think I put together something special, and I want it bad.”
As stated by MacMahon, Jackson Jr. is leading the league in blocks per game (3.0), blocking 9.7 percent of opponents’ field goal attempts when he’s present on the floor, while standing up as the Grizzlies’ defensive anchor, leading the club to the third-ranked defense of 110.6 points per 100 possessions.
Facing some opponents on the awards like Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jackson Jr. remains a strong candidate given the impact he made on his team. Before he returned to the team last November, the Grizz were just 20th in the defensive ranking amongst the teams in the league.
It is yet to be seen what will be the result of the Defensive Award race, but Jackson Jr. is certainly a worthy one to attain the award.
