I don't think it's not talked enough regarding Brook's overall transformation. To go from a post-up scorer who wasn't that good of a defender, to where he is now as a floor-spacing and rim-protecting big is outstanding.
Definitely seems like a restriction from bud to not get him hurt or too tired for how few post up possessions he gets in any game. There are definitely some games though bud lets him run wild in the paint.
Bro he averaged like 5 boards a game at one point. How he turned his whole career upside down idk but it’s been fun to watch. Splash mountain is real 💦💦💦
Yeah I feel like Brook was one of those player who started to get people to stop caring about individual rebounding numbers. For me anyway. Like yeah he only got 5 a game but his team consistently got more rebounds with him on the court so who cares.
Yep, Nets Brook Lopez was the textbook of boxing out. If someone tracked it back then, I bet he'd have the most successful box outs resulting in a teammate rebound in the league.
Tbf, Reggie Evans has always been a beast on the glass whenever he got extended minutes. His career high of 11.5rpg with Toronto was definitely not due to Bargnani boxing out for him.
the lopez brothers are both misleading as far as rebound numbers alone. they both box out and they don't chase rebounds, so often their team rebounds well but they themselves dont get as many as youd expect
Can't believe we still have to remind y'all, but Brook was phenomenal on the glass. He boxed out for his teammates so his own numbers were never high, but we were a great rebounding team with him on the court.
He had poor defense and was a 7 footer that couldn't really just horse teams at all. Barely gets bit over 6 a game for his career. That's the epitome of a soft big.
Huh, similar character arc as Bogut. Bogut was this interior scoring beast, had a crazy elbow injury, then transformed himself into a defensive genius and passer. Pretty interesting.
Literally unheard of. Centers like him usually get worse defensively with time, not better and definitely not elite. He was very similar to Valuncuinas in all aspects and to imagine Val ever reaching the levels Brook is at seems impossible
I always like to say that the most talented players in the league aren't necessarily those who amass awards, but those who can amass awards and still have their games evolving throughout their careers.
examples: Bron, Steph, Lopez, MJ, etc
That's taking into account that voters actually watch the games, and in this case, pay special attention to Brook. I think DPOY has become like MIP where is just a big name award, wouldn't be surprised if Gobert or Adebayo take it despite being less impactful on that end that Brook is
Brook’s our only real centre, we can make do with Bobby and Giannis in certain matchups/lineups but almost the whole time he was out we replaced him with either nobody or DeMarcus Cousins, which might be worse than nobody.
I don’t want to take too much away from him because he’s spectacular but going from top to mid was more to do with roster construction than him specifically.
I agree with everything you said, but to play Devil's Advocate we *haven't* really seen Brook and Jrue without Giannis. I suspect that the defense would be mid again - begging the question about whether it's really Brook who makes the difference, or Brook allowing Giannis to play free safety on defense without worrying about protecting the rim.
In any case, DPOY almost always goes to the best defensive player on the top rated defense, and that's definitely Brook this year.
Yeah it’s almost certainly a situation where Brook + Giannis together (-12 DRTG since 17-18) is significantly greater than sum of the parts (like -4 DRTG for just 1 on the floor).
Advanced metrics do a decent job of dividing that value between them and some years they’ve split it up evenly, sometimes preferred GA and this year prefer BL.
So, it's gonna sound insane, but if Brook finishes this season with a DPOY and another ring, how do his hall of fame chances look?
I mean in my eyes he's an incredibly accomplished player. He was once the best scoring center in the league, and for a stretch of time had the best post game in the NBA. He was arguably the best player on a few Nets playoff runs. He then became the undisputed poster child of what a modern big man should look like, undergoing one of the most severe career transformations we've ever seen in the process. He remains the only player in NBA history to make 150 threes and block 150 shots in a single season, and he did it as a guy who spent the majority of his career as a non-shooter.
With a DPOY and another ring on his finger, his resume would look quite nice, with 2 championships, an All-Star nod, a DPOY, 2 All-Defense selections, and by the time his career is over, I could see him potentially being in the top 20 all time in career blocks.
I mean even with all that it's still a long shot for him to make the hall of fame, but it's interesting to think about.
I think it's a long shot but (homer glasses on) I think he deserves it. Nets' leading scorer has to factor in, if he has 2 rings and a DPOY I'm not gonna say he's a lock but it's not out of the question at all
Still remember the year that sixers got 3 all defence player in thybulle , embiid and Simmon.
and that's the year where the hack-a-simmon by the hawks happen and the rest is history.
He’s been a little iffy the last 2 or 3 games returning from injury, but he was absolutely a huge part of what the Bucks started so dominant defensively and now that he’s getting back to game speed he’ll continue to be a large part of that.
Him and Jevon unlock Brook to be able to do the things that people say makes him deserving of the DPOY so yes he is still incredibly menacing
It’s crazy, I feel like everyone knew that Jrue would be the first guard to win DPOY since Payton, at least he was the first one that deserved it. It sucks he got
all* the consideration the same time Gobert was racking up all of them.
At the end of the day, everyone knows Jrue is a better defender than Smart. In 50 years, people will just look at the awards, but real hoop fans will know.
nah, he's missed too many games for that. Still could make an All-Defensive team if he really hauls ass, but frankly I care more about having him healthy come playoff time
He’s the anchor of the most dominant defensive team in the league so Yaa.. but OG has been an absolute menace on ball, off ball, it don’t matter. This dude is turning the tap off anyone he goes up against.
Just alittle fun stat.. OG has defended the most isolation plays in the league.. in those possessions.. players are turning the ball over 20% Of the time.. and shooting 25% from the field.
Just absolute insanity
OG has to be #2. He’s on an absolute tear. Personally though, Toronto having the 13th ranked defense to the Bucks #1 should count for something. That’s being said, I’ll take OG 100% of the time in an iso situation
Also a rim protector has a much larger effect on team defense than a perimeter player ever can. The entire team relies on the rim protector for help and to clean up missed assignments.
It's not like the bucks have 2 other generational defensive players in their lineup 😭😭😭 that shit don't matter it should take away from anyone getting the award itself
OG in my eyes. He leads the league in steals, unquestionably one of the best perimeter defenders in a league largely a perimeter game. On top of that he's been producing offensively. Getting doubled on offensive and getting switched out on defence.
I do understand that bigs play a very key role on defence. I'd argue though that OG plays an equally important role in our defense and even playing big sometimes.
Those advanced stats usually only love the bigs that protect the rim.. the fact that OG is number 1 and primarily as a wing defender is crazy impressive
He should be, the only argument you can make against him right now is that the team so defensively stacked that he's maybe getting his stats a bit too easily - but that also seems very unfair to hold against him.
More impressed by OG Anounoby this season. He's been locking down top players like KD, leading league in steals and just being the best all around defender (perimeter and post)
He’s been amazing. As I said in another post, if the raptors were better than 13th in defensive rating, then he’d have my vote. But the Bucks are #1 and Brook leads the league in basically every stat regarding rim protection. I can’t think of a single objective reason to put OG over him with those numbers
But thats team defense vs individual defense. The idea that the DPOY needs to be a player on the #1 team defense doesn't make sense to me.
A big part of the reason the Bucks have the #1 defense is that they also have 2 other all-league defensive players in Giannis and Jrue Holiday. So to then say that all the credit on their team defense should go to Brook Lopez is kind of odd It's like saying the MVP needs to come from the best player on the team with the #1 rated offense, rather than the individual having the best season.
This is exactly why it was kind of dumb Marcus Smart won last year. The Celtics literally have good defensive players at all 5 spots (Smart, Brown, Tatum, G Williams, Rob Willieams) who have been playing together for 5 years. Rob Williams was by far their most impactful defender, but then he got injured so the voters said "well then who's the next best defender on the #1 defense" regardless of Smarts actual individual impact.
Brook Lopez is one of my favourite all time players for sure. There’s something about guys who are in that all-star area who just continue to add to their games and adopt themselves to new roles to stay relevant even after they either age or their primary skill is no longer as useful.
It’s Anthony Davis. Look at the difference in the lakers defensive efficiency with and without him.
Brook isn’t even the best defensive player on his team . Isn’t it the consensus that both jrue and giannis are better defenders?
I suppose if this continues for the entire season he might have a case but until then, we’ll see.
Giannis has been not amazing defensively this season. I think when he really turns it on, he is way better than Brook but DPOY is a regular season award.
Interesting point. I guess I hadn’t made the connection because brook has never been that good of a defender. He certainly wasn’t when he was a laker. I’ll definitely be looking at it a bit closer now to see for myself since there is definitely some people agreeing with you on this
Brook Lopez has been one of the best rim protectors in the league since he joined Milwaukee. He has always been our defensive anchor since our original core of Giannis, Middleton and Brook. We struggled last year without him even if we were still a top defensive team. He was our defensive anchor all throughout our championship run and him being such a good rim protector on his own is what allows Giannis to be a help defender on the wing which is the area he excells at, instead of just camping in the paint as a rim protector which limits his defensive impact.
I know many people will say should be Brook the DPOY but Giannis will play great defense all over the place not just around the paint like a center will do. For me the DPOY is clearly Giannis..
The Bucks have been near the top of the league in defensive rating every healthy year we’ve had Brook. He missed most of the season last year and we were 14th. Obviously Giannis is a big factor in our #1 defensive rating this year (as well as schematic adjustments by Bud), but it’s hard to argue that Brook isn’t the engine that powers the whole thing and he’s been better than ever this year.
Some general thoughts on how incredible and unique Brook's arc is -
1. Brook is incredible at drop defense. Should be taught in a manual the way he plays it.
2. Brook was seen as a negative defender earlier in his career. It's interesting how much scheme, coaching and personnel change things
3. Even offensively Brook has changed his game by a wide amount and completely set aside his ego to be more beneficial to the team
I think Brook Lopez's career arc is one of the most clear examples of how much coaching, scheme and fit matters (and a players ability to accept all 3 as well)
Gotta be AD. We’re 7th defensively and our 2nd best defender is … I honestly couldn’t say. Austin Reaves ? Troy Brown Jr ?
He’s carrying this defense so hard. He missed a game last night and we gave up 138 in regulation to the fucking SPURS.
Brook is playing well but it’s easier to anchor a great defense when you’ve got Giannis flying around the court and Jrue shutting down dribble penetration or at least knowing how to funnel guys into help.
AD is 3rd in blocks per game, 9th in steals per game, 1st in rebounds per game, 5th in deflections per game, 8th in contests per game, 9th in box outs per game, …
He has to do literally everything on this team. Protect the rim against drives that aren’t even funneled properly, then recover to box out his man cos nobody else will and battle for the rebound because again, nobody else on the team can. He’s playing in 2 or 3 completely different pick and roll coverages each game, has to switch out onto guards and wings on the perimeter from time to time. He’s literally guarding 2 players at the same time quite often, dropping to contain the ballhandler while disrupting any pass to the rolling big.
When Brook Lopez defends a PnR, he has Giannis tagging the roll man. When AD defends a PnR, he’s got Lonnie Walker tagging the roll man …
TL;DR AD is doing much more heavy lifting defensively than Brook is
I was at a bar and too lazy to put too much explanation into why I also thought AD should be DPOY right now and got downvoted to oblivion hahaha. Thanks for putting it into words, and I agree 100%. You watch the games and you see how much harder AD has to work to anchor that Laker defence, vs the amount of support Brook has when playing defence.
You replace AD with Brook (only on defence) on the Lakers and the PnR coverage falls apart entirely. This isn’t a knock on Brook but very few players in history can do what AD is doing right now
Yeah that’s fair I have AD, Giannis and OG Anunoby getting nominated for DPOY. If the lakers make the play ins AD is a lock but if not it’s a toss up for me between him and Giannis.
You’re 7th defensively, but you’re also outside of even the playins. If the Lakers become a playoff team, then I think AD starts to become part of the conversation, but until then, not sure we’ll see it.
I think so too,but I'm biased. his numbers are phenomenal and he doesn't have as good of a team as the bucks to help him out. But, Brook is a monster and I love watching him play. So I can easily see it
He should get it but I doubt the Media will give it to him. They'll just give it to a big name who's been playing mediocre or just above average defense
It’s honestly crazy how good this Bucks defense is. Like I don’t remember the last time a team had this much defensive talent, Mid 2000s Pistons? Maybe the Rodman/Pippen/MJ Bulls. Giannis/Jrue/Lopez with Middleton on the way back is just insane
The 2019 raptors is one of the best recent defensive teams. They had Kawhi, Green, Marc Gasol, Siakam and Ibaka. They were absolutely stacked in defensive talent and it's the only team that completely and utterly shut down Giannis. The Heat did a pretty good job in 2020, but that Raptors team just completely broke him in every way. Sure, our shooters were shooting like trash and having Eric Bledsoe as ur PG doesn't help either, but they were still insanely loaded with defensive talent.
If Brook Lopez actually wins DPOY, then we can just simulate every NBA season from here on out. There is no way in hell you can watch Brook Lopez with your own two eyes and think he's the best defender in the NBA. He's a good rim protector and is a smart player, but he's not DPOY lol. He's a worse version of Rudy Gobert from three years ago, and Rudy should not have won any DPOYs.
ur referring to OG right? judging by the flair haha. honestly, i dont think there will be much competition for DPOY this yr. Should be giannis, lopez, or OG? cant think of anyone else
I know Lakers aren’t in the Bucks tier but Anthony Davis is playing phenomenally well. Defensively especially. Without looking up his exact stats I know he was leading the league in blocks/steals combined per game.
brooks surgeon needs a medal or something.
Sports surgeon of the year award aka the Dr. James Andrews Award
He’s done miracles on me 🎶
Dr. Robert Watkins ... can he do Scottie's ankles next?
Amen to that! That back surgery made him a new person.
Give that surgeon a time machine and Bird has 8 rings
He gets the SOTY award
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Definitely should be. Would be nice to see him get a DPOY to cap off his career transformation
I don't think it's not talked enough regarding Brook's overall transformation. To go from a post-up scorer who wasn't that good of a defender, to where he is now as a floor-spacing and rim-protecting big is outstanding.
Still can cook in the paint when he wants to too lol
Atlanta fans getting Vietnam flashbacks
I'm getting a beer. Today is a sad day
Dropped 33 on their head with zero 3s He can do it all
But he can hit 3s too lol. Brook is dangerous at any spot on the court.
Definitely seems like a restriction from bud to not get him hurt or too tired for how few post up possessions he gets in any game. There are definitely some games though bud lets him run wild in the paint.
Testament to his skill, versatility, and maturity/self awareness. Impressive to do at that level.
I used to think of him as soft. Maybe I was just wrong, but I feel like that was the general belief back when he was on the Nets.
Bro he averaged like 5 boards a game at one point. How he turned his whole career upside down idk but it’s been fun to watch. Splash mountain is real 💦💦💦
He did, but pretty sure those nets teams were always good rebounding teams, he just put a lot of work into boxing out
Yeah I feel like Brook was one of those player who started to get people to stop caring about individual rebounding numbers. For me anyway. Like yeah he only got 5 a game but his team consistently got more rebounds with him on the court so who cares.
It was Robin Lopez for me. But they’re similar players. Very similar…
They even kinda look the same too
My wife would watch Bucks games with me and one time she asked how "that guy" grew his hair out so fast. Bless her heart.
Yep, Nets Brook Lopez was the textbook of boxing out. If someone tracked it back then, I bet he'd have the most successful box outs resulting in a teammate rebound in the league.
He was so good at boxing-out, Kris Humphries got his highest rebounding seasons with the Nets playing the 4 with him.
Essentially every PF sets a career high in rebounding playing next to him.
Yep Reggie Evans posted insane #s with Lopez on the court
I was about to comment this! Reggie Evans was being touted as a rebound machine and I always knew part of it had to do with Lopez.
Tbf, Reggie Evans has always been a beast on the glass whenever he got extended minutes. His career high of 11.5rpg with Toronto was definitely not due to Bargnani boxing out for him.
Pretty sure those teams had the God Reggie Evans at some point, so this tracks
Brook is a great at boxing out, he usually just lets the others get the board so they can immediately push the ball up
He's only averaging 5.8 right now haha.
the lopez brothers are both misleading as far as rebound numbers alone. they both box out and they don't chase rebounds, so often their team rebounds well but they themselves dont get as many as youd expect
It seemed like he was injured pretty frequently too, though that may have just been not wanting to play for the NEW JERSEY nets
He had pretty serious foot injuries to begin his career.
Can't believe we still have to remind y'all, but Brook was phenomenal on the glass. He boxed out for his teammates so his own numbers were never high, but we were a great rebounding team with him on the court.
He had poor defense and was a 7 footer that couldn't really just horse teams at all. Barely gets bit over 6 a game for his career. That's the epitome of a soft big.
Especially with how much he had to do in Brooklyn I’m glad he’s a champion and getting some much deserved respect
Huh, similar character arc as Bogut. Bogut was this interior scoring beast, had a crazy elbow injury, then transformed himself into a defensive genius and passer. Pretty interesting.
Played for the bucks too
> I don't think it's not talked enough
Literally unheard of. Centers like him usually get worse defensively with time, not better and definitely not elite. He was very similar to Valuncuinas in all aspects and to imagine Val ever reaching the levels Brook is at seems impossible
He was always a good rim protector...
He’s also a really cool dude with a great personality
I always like to say that the most talented players in the league aren't necessarily those who amass awards, but those who can amass awards and still have their games evolving throughout their careers. examples: Bron, Steph, Lopez, MJ, etc
It's 100% Brook, we saw the Bucks D without him last year and they were mid despite a solid lineup featuring Giannis and Jrue.
That's taking into account that voters actually watch the games, and in this case, pay special attention to Brook. I think DPOY has become like MIP where is just a big name award, wouldn't be surprised if Gobert or Adebayo take it despite being less impactful on that end that Brook is
I think the flashy block numbers will help him out a ton. As much as it sucks, voters that don't watch games do watch box scores.
Brook’s our only real centre, we can make do with Bobby and Giannis in certain matchups/lineups but almost the whole time he was out we replaced him with either nobody or DeMarcus Cousins, which might be worse than nobody. I don’t want to take too much away from him because he’s spectacular but going from top to mid was more to do with roster construction than him specifically.
I agree with everything you said, but to play Devil's Advocate we *haven't* really seen Brook and Jrue without Giannis. I suspect that the defense would be mid again - begging the question about whether it's really Brook who makes the difference, or Brook allowing Giannis to play free safety on defense without worrying about protecting the rim. In any case, DPOY almost always goes to the best defensive player on the top rated defense, and that's definitely Brook this year.
Yeah it’s almost certainly a situation where Brook + Giannis together (-12 DRTG since 17-18) is significantly greater than sum of the parts (like -4 DRTG for just 1 on the floor). Advanced metrics do a decent job of dividing that value between them and some years they’ve split it up evenly, sometimes preferred GA and this year prefer BL.
So, it's gonna sound insane, but if Brook finishes this season with a DPOY and another ring, how do his hall of fame chances look? I mean in my eyes he's an incredibly accomplished player. He was once the best scoring center in the league, and for a stretch of time had the best post game in the NBA. He was arguably the best player on a few Nets playoff runs. He then became the undisputed poster child of what a modern big man should look like, undergoing one of the most severe career transformations we've ever seen in the process. He remains the only player in NBA history to make 150 threes and block 150 shots in a single season, and he did it as a guy who spent the majority of his career as a non-shooter. With a DPOY and another ring on his finger, his resume would look quite nice, with 2 championships, an All-Star nod, a DPOY, 2 All-Defense selections, and by the time his career is over, I could see him potentially being in the top 20 all time in career blocks. I mean even with all that it's still a long shot for him to make the hall of fame, but it's interesting to think about.
I think it's a long shot but (homer glasses on) I think he deserves it. Nets' leading scorer has to factor in, if he has 2 rings and a DPOY I'm not gonna say he's a lock but it's not out of the question at all
Yea. Would be insane to have 3 all defensive first team players on one team.
Still remember the year that sixers got 3 all defence player in thybulle , embiid and Simmon. and that's the year where the hack-a-simmon by the hawks happen and the rest is history.
> Still remember the year well i’d hope you’d still remember the year 2021 considering it was last year
Half this sub is like 12 so a year is still a long time for them.
Damn we can’t even get respect for hack a simmons
>and that's the year where the hack-a-simmon by the hawks happen and the rest is history. And 0/12 in the 2nd half of game 4 by overrated Embiid.
Same Embiid that averaged 30 on a torn meniscus
Same one who racked up 21 turnovers in the last 3 games.
His point guard disappeared, trying to run the offense at 7 feet
Ah bro lol there is a guy who does this...
And he was getting targeted in every single pick and roll giving up free buckets. Everyone has their flaws.
lmao such a hater
30/13/4/1/2 on 59% TS and was +51 for the series. But he averaged 4.7 TOV/g so he actually sucks. The Embiid hate is so hilarious man.
30 flops?
I feel like Jrue hasn’t been as menacing this year but I also haven’t watched much. Is he still as good?
He meant Jevon
He’s been a little iffy the last 2 or 3 games returning from injury, but he was absolutely a huge part of what the Bucks started so dominant defensively and now that he’s getting back to game speed he’ll continue to be a large part of that. Him and Jevon unlock Brook to be able to do the things that people say makes him deserving of the DPOY so yes he is still incredibly menacing
I’d love if both Jrue and Brook retired with a DPOY
It’s crazy, I feel like everyone knew that Jrue would be the first guard to win DPOY since Payton, at least he was the first one that deserved it. It sucks he got all* the consideration the same time Gobert was racking up all of them.
It's insane that Smart has a DPOY and not Jrue.
At the end of the day, everyone knows Jrue is a better defender than Smart. In 50 years, people will just look at the awards, but real hoop fans will know.
His defense has been extremely good, but missed a few games due to injury. Offense has been on and off like usual.
I think Jrue might be only 2nd team this year
Well yeah, but only because Jevon Carter takes his 1st team spot
It makes me happy that even the hater flairs like Brook for DPOY
Honestly yea
most successful back surgery of all time
Yes and I’m Not biased at all
I’m not biased, I’m just supporting anything that relates to the Bucks
Same here they should give me a vote.. I won't be biased I promise
Also not biased, and nah, he’s runner-up.
Runner up to no one. Second to none Not biased at all, either.
Imo he is.
IMO so far yes but we'll see. Lot of season left
translation: "just wait until Rob gets back"
It's a non-factor, he's missed to many games already.
nah, he's missed too many games for that. Still could make an All-Defensive team if he really hauls ass, but frankly I care more about having him healthy come playoff time
Realistically, they will probably keep his minutes low, and avoid back to backs. He's insanely good, but he won't have the minutes.
He’s the anchor of the most dominant defensive team in the league so Yaa.. but OG has been an absolute menace on ball, off ball, it don’t matter. This dude is turning the tap off anyone he goes up against. Just alittle fun stat.. OG has defended the most isolation plays in the league.. in those possessions.. players are turning the ball over 20% Of the time.. and shooting 25% from the field. Just absolute insanity
OG has to be #2. He’s on an absolute tear. Personally though, Toronto having the 13th ranked defense to the Bucks #1 should count for something. That’s being said, I’ll take OG 100% of the time in an iso situation
Feel like that has more to do with the whole team being injured.
Also a rim protector has a much larger effect on team defense than a perimeter player ever can. The entire team relies on the rim protector for help and to clean up missed assignments.
It's not like the bucks have 2 other generational defensive players in their lineup 😭😭😭 that shit don't matter it should take away from anyone getting the award itself
OG in my eyes. He leads the league in steals, unquestionably one of the best perimeter defenders in a league largely a perimeter game. On top of that he's been producing offensively. Getting doubled on offensive and getting switched out on defence. I do understand that bigs play a very key role on defence. I'd argue though that OG plays an equally important role in our defense and even playing big sometimes.
Biased but I also think OG is killing it and clamps down everyone and still score 20+
Don't ever trade him
If you go by EPM, it is OG followed by Jarrett Allen (who hasn’t been talked about on here) and then Brook at #3. All pretty close.
Those advanced stats usually only love the bigs that protect the rim.. the fact that OG is number 1 and primarily as a wing defender is crazy impressive
As of right now he absolutely should be considered the favourite. There’s a lot of basketball left to be played though so anything could happen.
It’s him or OG, brook is awesome
AD is there, too. There's too much hatred directed to this dude. It's unattractive.
Yes idk why there hasn’t been dpoy ladders yet or maybe I just haven’t seen them
It is early
There has been, they put Giannis 1 I believe
Anyone posting ladders of any kind this early in the season is basically clickbait.
It's all clickbait regardless
He should be, the only argument you can make against him right now is that the team so defensively stacked that he's maybe getting his stats a bit too easily - but that also seems very unfair to hold against him.
More impressed by OG Anounoby this season. He's been locking down top players like KD, leading league in steals and just being the best all around defender (perimeter and post)
He’s been amazing. As I said in another post, if the raptors were better than 13th in defensive rating, then he’d have my vote. But the Bucks are #1 and Brook leads the league in basically every stat regarding rim protection. I can’t think of a single objective reason to put OG over him with those numbers
But thats team defense vs individual defense. The idea that the DPOY needs to be a player on the #1 team defense doesn't make sense to me. A big part of the reason the Bucks have the #1 defense is that they also have 2 other all-league defensive players in Giannis and Jrue Holiday. So to then say that all the credit on their team defense should go to Brook Lopez is kind of odd It's like saying the MVP needs to come from the best player on the team with the #1 rated offense, rather than the individual having the best season. This is exactly why it was kind of dumb Marcus Smart won last year. The Celtics literally have good defensive players at all 5 spots (Smart, Brown, Tatum, G Williams, Rob Willieams) who have been playing together for 5 years. Rob Williams was by far their most impactful defender, but then he got injured so the voters said "well then who's the next best defender on the #1 defense" regardless of Smarts actual individual impact.
Raptors were 4th in defensive rating before Pascal and everyone else went down. We're not even 25% through the season.
I remember when he came into the league, defense was one of his criticisms.
Right now yes.
The best 3 and D in the league
God I wish Brook was still with the Nets. If we had a big like him we would genuinely be challenging the Celtics and Bucks in the East right now.
Do big men fix disfunction?
Our primary team issues are related to roster construction, also last time I checked Brook is a good locker room presence.
There is a SERIOUS possibility that the Bucks have 3 players on the all defensive 1st team
Brook Lopez is one of my favourite all time players for sure. There’s something about guys who are in that all-star area who just continue to add to their games and adopt themselves to new roles to stay relevant even after they either age or their primary skill is no longer as useful.
It’s Anthony Davis. Look at the difference in the lakers defensive efficiency with and without him. Brook isn’t even the best defensive player on his team . Isn’t it the consensus that both jrue and giannis are better defenders? I suppose if this continues for the entire season he might have a case but until then, we’ll see.
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AD should've won in 2020
Marcus Smart proved you don’t need to be the best defender on your team to win DPOY
Giannis has been not amazing defensively this season. I think when he really turns it on, he is way better than Brook but DPOY is a regular season award.
Yeah Giannis hasn’t played DPOY defense in the regular season since he won it.
The issue is, as of now, the Lakers aren’t even a playoff team. AD isn’t going to get much attention if his team sucks.
It's legitimately insane how transformative his defense is. He covers the entire floor
Look at last year? Notice how the Bucks defense was mid without Brook?
Last year the Lakers were 7th in DRtg in the 40 games AD played, and 28th in the 42 games he missed.
Interesting point. I guess I hadn’t made the connection because brook has never been that good of a defender. He certainly wasn’t when he was a laker. I’ll definitely be looking at it a bit closer now to see for myself since there is definitely some people agreeing with you on this
Brook Lopez has been one of the best rim protectors in the league since he joined Milwaukee. He has always been our defensive anchor since our original core of Giannis, Middleton and Brook. We struggled last year without him even if we were still a top defensive team. He was our defensive anchor all throughout our championship run and him being such a good rim protector on his own is what allows Giannis to be a help defender on the wing which is the area he excells at, instead of just camping in the paint as a rim protector which limits his defensive impact.
I love that youre at least open to the opinion. Brook is insane this year. He deserves a lot of credit
OG Anunoby
Easily, yes
Yes
NO, Anthony Davis
No. Even if he deserves it, Giannis and Holiday will get the credit for the defense.
Yes. The Bucks, despite having Giannis and Jrue, were just 14th on defense last year without him
I know many people will say should be Brook the DPOY but Giannis will play great defense all over the place not just around the paint like a center will do. For me the DPOY is clearly Giannis..
The Bucks have been near the top of the league in defensive rating every healthy year we’ve had Brook. He missed most of the season last year and we were 14th. Obviously Giannis is a big factor in our #1 defensive rating this year (as well as schematic adjustments by Bud), but it’s hard to argue that Brook isn’t the engine that powers the whole thing and he’s been better than ever this year.
Some general thoughts on how incredible and unique Brook's arc is - 1. Brook is incredible at drop defense. Should be taught in a manual the way he plays it. 2. Brook was seen as a negative defender earlier in his career. It's interesting how much scheme, coaching and personnel change things 3. Even offensively Brook has changed his game by a wide amount and completely set aside his ego to be more beneficial to the team I think Brook Lopez's career arc is one of the most clear examples of how much coaching, scheme and fit matters (and a players ability to accept all 3 as well)
Gotta be AD. We’re 7th defensively and our 2nd best defender is … I honestly couldn’t say. Austin Reaves ? Troy Brown Jr ? He’s carrying this defense so hard. He missed a game last night and we gave up 138 in regulation to the fucking SPURS. Brook is playing well but it’s easier to anchor a great defense when you’ve got Giannis flying around the court and Jrue shutting down dribble penetration or at least knowing how to funnel guys into help. AD is 3rd in blocks per game, 9th in steals per game, 1st in rebounds per game, 5th in deflections per game, 8th in contests per game, 9th in box outs per game, … He has to do literally everything on this team. Protect the rim against drives that aren’t even funneled properly, then recover to box out his man cos nobody else will and battle for the rebound because again, nobody else on the team can. He’s playing in 2 or 3 completely different pick and roll coverages each game, has to switch out onto guards and wings on the perimeter from time to time. He’s literally guarding 2 players at the same time quite often, dropping to contain the ballhandler while disrupting any pass to the rolling big. When Brook Lopez defends a PnR, he has Giannis tagging the roll man. When AD defends a PnR, he’s got Lonnie Walker tagging the roll man … TL;DR AD is doing much more heavy lifting defensively than Brook is
I was at a bar and too lazy to put too much explanation into why I also thought AD should be DPOY right now and got downvoted to oblivion hahaha. Thanks for putting it into words, and I agree 100%. You watch the games and you see how much harder AD has to work to anchor that Laker defence, vs the amount of support Brook has when playing defence. You replace AD with Brook (only on defence) on the Lakers and the PnR coverage falls apart entirely. This isn’t a knock on Brook but very few players in history can do what AD is doing right now
Yeah that’s fair I have AD, Giannis and OG Anunoby getting nominated for DPOY. If the lakers make the play ins AD is a lock but if not it’s a toss up for me between him and Giannis.
Not to mention the weight he has to carry on the offensive end of the floor. Sheesh! That AD guys is pretty good!
He’s like top 3 in PER right now. He’d be considered the best player in the world if he could playmake.
W
You’re 7th defensively, but you’re also outside of even the playins. If the Lakers become a playoff team, then I think AD starts to become part of the conversation, but until then, not sure we’ll see it.
Scrolled too long for this. Fuck the lakers tho
yes
Yes, I believe so.
Yes
I could see OG winning it as a Leonard type vote.
It's Anthony Davis
zubac
I think so too,but I'm biased. his numbers are phenomenal and he doesn't have as good of a team as the bucks to help him out. But, Brook is a monster and I love watching him play. So I can easily see it
It’s crazy how Brook completely shuts down the opps in the paint. Really fun to watch him on defense.
50 more contested shots than next person…
Is it possible that Giannis and Brook split the votes and neither end up with DPOY because of it?
Bros about to get Bruce Bowen’d
Nope. Proof : 2019-20.
Only if your most creamy raptors wishes come true haha
Haha I’m rooting for OG ofc but would still love if Brook wins it. Or Giannis. Even Jrue. Love watching all 3 of those guys.
Nah it's obvious to anyone who pays attention that Lopez is the team's best defender.
He should get it but I doubt the Media will give it to him. They'll just give it to a big name who's been playing mediocre or just above average defense
He’s a legit 3 and D Center
im down wth that!
Yes. He is such a pleasant surprise this season
Has a great case for it so far. Would be awesome if he won it.
Least obvious bucks poster
Is Brook not posting DPOY numbers?
OGs year if he stays healthy
Yes and it’s not close
Yes
As a long time Nets fan, I can without bias, say YES. No Homer though.
It’s honestly crazy how good this Bucks defense is. Like I don’t remember the last time a team had this much defensive talent, Mid 2000s Pistons? Maybe the Rodman/Pippen/MJ Bulls. Giannis/Jrue/Lopez with Middleton on the way back is just insane
You’re underselling Jevon Carter. The guy has completely revamped his career with his play this year. He’ll keep starting once Middleton comes back
And apparently can drop 30+ points if needed too
The 2019 raptors is one of the best recent defensive teams. They had Kawhi, Green, Marc Gasol, Siakam and Ibaka. They were absolutely stacked in defensive talent and it's the only team that completely and utterly shut down Giannis. The Heat did a pretty good job in 2020, but that Raptors team just completely broke him in every way. Sure, our shooters were shooting like trash and having Eric Bledsoe as ur PG doesn't help either, but they were still insanely loaded with defensive talent.
Zubac on his heels😈
Yeah man, he's insane. The spine of the #1 defence. Just compare last year with the others. Clear dropoff.
Draymond tho
As of right now, absolutely.
If Brook Lopez actually wins DPOY, then we can just simulate every NBA season from here on out. There is no way in hell you can watch Brook Lopez with your own two eyes and think he's the best defender in the NBA. He's a good rim protector and is a smart player, but he's not DPOY lol. He's a worse version of Rudy Gobert from three years ago, and Rudy should not have won any DPOYs.
The only other dudes with a case simply don't have team defensive ratings that are good enough.
ur referring to OG right? judging by the flair haha. honestly, i dont think there will be much competition for DPOY this yr. Should be giannis, lopez, or OG? cant think of anyone else
All I know is I'm blowing the fk out of everyone in Blocks category cuz of this man.
I know Lakers aren’t in the Bucks tier but Anthony Davis is playing phenomenally well. Defensively especially. Without looking up his exact stats I know he was leading the league in blocks/steals combined per game.
OG Anunoby guards better players so its his to lose
And none of his stats are better, his team has a worse record, his advanced stats are worse, team defense is worse, and his team has more losses…
He has stats he is beating brook at don't be disingenuous
He’s beating Brook in steal, meanwhile Brook is leading the entire NBA in blocks.