The leading candidates to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year are Rudy Gobert, Mikal Bridges, Bam Adebayo, and Marcus Smart.
If Gobert were to win it again, it would be the Jazz center’s fourth time taking home the hardware since first earning the title in 2018. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only other player in the league to win the trophy in that span.
Smart doesn’t think Gobert should get the nod, though. In his estimation, he told league insider Tim Bontemps, Gobert does not have the versatility (via ESPN):