Watch Memphis Grizzlies quarterback Jaren Jackson Jr. react as he wins the 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. Jackson is the second Memphis player to win the award, joining three-time All-Star Marc Gasol (2012-2013).
Jackson is the first DPOY winner to average at least three blocks and one steal in a single season since Marcus Camby in 2007-08. In 63 starts, Center also posted career highs of 18.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.6 field goals per game.
On many NBA betting sites, the Grizzlies hold eighth shorter odds of winning the championship. Some sportsbooks give better chances to the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers. Watch Jackson’s reaction below.
At the beginning of November, Jaren Jackson Jr. had reached +5000 to win DPOY.
Today, it is officially named the #KiaDPOY After averaging 3 blocks per game and 1 steal per game.
His reaction when he found out he won the award was priceless 🙏pic.twitter.com/xPhbtrALs6
– BallislifeBets (BallislifeBets) April 17, 2023
Combined with an average of 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 28.4 minutes per contest, the Memphis center has shot 50.6% from the floor and 35.5% outside the arc. Not to mention, Jackson held opponents shooting from an NBA-low 46.9% on edge as the closest defender.
In the Grizzlies’ 128-103 win over the Atlanta Hawks on December 12, Center recorded a career-high eight blocks in less than 24 minutes as a starter. Shaquille O’Neal and Manute Bol hold the all-time record for most blocks in a single game with 15.
Jackson, 23, is also the second-youngest player to win a DPOY, behind Dwight Howard, who was also 23 in 2008-09. The Memphis center is officially the third player to win the award while also averaging under 30 minutes per game.
Watch Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. react as he wins his first NBA Defensive Player Award
Furthermore, the Michigan State product led the NBA in blocks per game, defensive rating (105.3), and block percentage (9.6%). Jaren Jackson Jr. also finished second in blocks (189), ninth in defensive win quotas (3.8), and eighth in defensive plus/minus squares (2.0).
In the 1984-85 season, Mark Eaton with the Utah Jazz averaged 5.6 cubes per game, the most by a DPOY winner in NBA history. Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart won the award last season after averaging less than a block per game.
Memphis fans should watch Jackson to see how he performs during the rest of this first-round series against LeBron James and the Lakers. In the Grizzlies’ 128-112 loss on Sunday in Game 1, Center amassed 31 points, five boards, four assists and two blocks.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game this season.
He is the first player to average 3 blocks and 1 steal in a single season since Marcus Camby in 2007-08.
Jackson Jr. is just the second Grizzlies player to win a DPOY, joining Marc Gasol in 2012-13.
– Matt Williams (StatsWilliams) April 17, 2023
Additionally, in the Grizzlies’ 138-131 win against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 5, Jackson scored a season-high 40 points in 41 minutes of action. He finished shooting 13-of-28 (46.4%) from the field and drained three three-pointers.
Jackson joins Kawhi Leonard and Smart as the Defensive Player of the Year in NBA history for hitting more than 100 three-pointers in a season. In addition, the center is just the fourth player to win the award at the age of 23 or younger, joining Howard, Alvin Robertson, and Leonard.
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