Jaren Jackson Jr. Named 2022-2023 Defensive Player of the Year

Trip. JJJ. Unicorn. Block Panther.

Many fun nicknames for one of the most unique talents to enter the NBA in recent history.

Now, Jaren Jackson Jr. has another title he can officially be recognized by.

And this is likely the best of them all, at least to date.

Jaren Jackson Jr. is the 2022-2023 Defensive Player of the year. In a year that was defined by historic offensive performances across the league, Jackson Jr. stood out among his peers as the most impactful and best defender in the league this season. With an overall single season stat line that had not been produced by an NBA player since Hall of Famers such as David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon did it in the mid and early 1990’s, Jackson Jr. averaged 3 blocks and 1 steal per game while anchoring the NBA’s third best overall defense this season.

Among DPOY candidates, Jackson Jr. was the best at limiting opponents at the rim, in the paint, and from consistently finding the best shot possible overall. While others may have had higher total counting stats, Jackson Jr. was clearly above all others when it came to combining individual defensive impact and defensive playmaking.

Jackson Jr. also joined some rare company with his production this year. Jackson Jr. becomes just the third player to win Defensive Player of the Year while averaging at least 3 blocks and 1 steals per game in the same season since 2000, joining Marcus Camby and Ben Wallace. He is the second youngest Defensive Player of the Year in league history, as Dwight Howard was just a few months younger when he won his first Defensive Player of the Year Award. Jackson. Jr. also is the second Grizzlies player to win defensive player of the year, as Marc Gasol won the award during the 2012-2013 season.

The progression for Jackson Jr.’s defensive impact has truly been historic in the context of how young he is. Last season, Jackson Jr. became just the 4th player in NBA history to earn All-Defensive First Team Honors at the age of 22 or younger, joining Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Serge Ibaka. This Season, Jackson Jr. will become just the 4th player in NBA history to win Defensive Player of the Year honors at the age of 23 or younger, joining Kawhi Leonard, Dwight Howard, and Alvin Robertson. As a result, with the expectation that JJJ will win All-Defensive First team honors again this year, he will be the first player aged 23 or younger to earn multiple All-Defensive first team honors and Defensive player of the year in NBA History.

As his recent comments have indicated, this is truly an honor that Jackson Jr. has badly wanted and will cherish. And based on producing a season performance on the defensive end of the court that has rarely been seen over the past quarter century, he truly deserves it. Time will tell how many defensive honors Jackson Jr. will compile has his career progresses. However, he truly is having an historic start to his career when it comes to defensive playmaking and impact.

And with the offensive strides he has made this season, we could be witnessing the beginning of an incredible NBA journey and career.