ESPN has announced its predictions for the 2024-25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Top Contenders
Last season, Rudy Gobert won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award. However, this year, Victor Wembanyama is leading the preseason votes by a large margin. The ESPN NBA Summer Forecast panel, which includes reporters and analysts, ranked their top three choices for six major NBA awards. Each first-place vote is worth five points, second place gets three points, and third place receives one point.
Wembanyama received 76 points from the panel (67% of first-place votes), while Gobert only managed to get 29 points (5%). Despite Gobert’s impressive history with four DPOY wins in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024, he seems to be trailing behind this season.
Voting Results
The voting results for the top candidates are as follows:
| NBA Player | NBA Team | Total Points | Percentage of First-Place Votes |
| Victor Wembanyama | San Antonio Spurs | 76 | 67% |
| Rudy Gobert | Minnesota Timberwolves | 29 | 5% |
| Chet Holmgren < td > Oklahoma City Thunder < td >1< / td >< / tr > < / tbody > < / table > Amazing Performances Last SeasonWembanyama had an outstanding rookie season last year. He finished second in DPOY voting after setting multiple records. He averaged 3.6 blocks per game with the Spurs and helped France win a silver medal at the Paris Olympics by averaging two blocks and two steals over five games. Gobert and Wembanyama are expected to be strong contenders throughout this season too. Bam Adebayo from Miami Heat and Anthony Davis from Los Angeles Lakers also follow closely behind due to their stellar performances for Team USA. Fans believe that Wembanyama has what it takes to win this award! The Odds Favor WembanyamaAccording to various NBA sportsbooks , Wembanyama is favored to win next seasonโs DPOY Award . The ESPN panel likely took these odds into account when making their picks . https://sports.betonline.ag/sportsbook/futures-and-props/nba-player-futures/nba-defensive-player-of-the-year  |
