By Only Players Staff
Updated 2/20/24 11:24pm ET
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year market is massively skewed towards Victor Wembanyama as a -2400 favorite at FanDuel but it would be remarkable and unprecedented NBA history.
Since the NBA introduced the award in the 1982-83 season, all 42 winners have come from a playoff team. However, Wemby and the San Antonio Spurs are currently +650 underdogs at DraftKings to reach the postseason.
Additionally, the Spurs currently rank 19nd in defensive net rating. Over the past 20 years, only one player has won the award from a team that ranked outside the top five. That was Marcus Camby in 2009-10 season for the Nuggets that ranked tenth.
NBA.com only offers net defensive rating stats dating back to the 1996-97 season. Dikembe Mutombo won the award in 1998 after the Atlanta Hawks ranked 13th. That’s the worst rating for any team that produced the Defensive Player of the Year over that span.
The -2400 odds imply a 96% chance for Wemby to win an award that would disrupt all the historical trends. However, he comfortably leads the NBA with 3.8 blocks per game and ranks eighth with 11.0 rebounds per game, while being considered the league’s most intimidating defender.
Evan Mobley is the second favorite with +3000 odds, as the Cavaliers are tied for the league’s best record and rank eighth in defensive rating. Jaren Jackson Jr. has +3500 odds, while the Grizzlies sit second in the Western Conference and rank seventh in defense.
</oc-offers-widgetWembanyama is 7’4″ and was drafted with the top overall pick in 2023. As a rookie last season, the 20-year-old finished runner-up to fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert, who won the honor for the fourth time in his career.
Wemby entered the season as the -170 favorite at DraftKings. Based on limited tracking, the award had an odds-on favorite (higher than 50%) before the season for the first time ever.
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