MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jaren Jackson Jr. won the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
Jackson Jr. led the league with three blocks per game and tied for second in total blocks with 189 in the regular season, despite missing 19 games. He also averaged one steal per game.
Jackson Jr. is just the second Memphis Grizzlies player to win the award. Marc Gasol won the honor in the 2012-13 season.
Milwaukee Bucks center, Brook Lopez, and Cleveland Cavaliers forward, Evan Mobley, were also finalists for the award. Among the three candidates, Jaren Jackson Jr. led in steals and blocks per game and rang in at second in defensive rebounds per game.
Jackson Jr. had a career season, earning his first NBA All-Star appearance in February. He scored a career-high 18.6 points per game, while shooting above 50% from the floor.