Kawhi Leonard
Prior to the surge of Draymond Green in 2017 and the injuries that Kawhi Leonard dealt with throughout the 2017-18 season that kept him out for all but nine contests, Leonard looked like he’d be a staple for this award for years to come. He won it in back-to-back seasons in both 2015 and 2016 in overwhelming fashion.
In those seasons, and even in the one where Draymond edged him out (which may have also very well been a result of voter fatigue), Leonard set himself apart as one of the greatest perimeter defenders in the game. He has a length and lateral quickness that make him daunting on defense, as well as the discipline to hang with pretty much anybody.
His ability to slow LeBron James in the 2014 NBA Finals was a leading reason why the San Antonio Spurs were able to stop the Miami Heat and Leonard was able to net the NBA Finals MVP recognition. He’s a steals extraordinaire and simply has the defensive prowess to be able to take over a game on that end of the floor by rendering elite stars helpless.
In 2015-16, the second year in which Kawhi was DPOY, he posted a mind-blowing defensive rating of 94.9 and his already stout defensive Spurs squad was nearly five points per 100 possessions better on defense with him on the court.
There are a lot of questions facing Leonard this season as he’ll be playing with the Toronto Raptors for the first time. One of those will be if he can get back to his pre-injury self. If he does, though, he has all the defensive skills to be a force at that end. And I predict Leonard will be right in the thick of the Defensive Player of the Year conversation as a result.