Dillon Brooks makes appearance on defensive player of the year ladder

Once a month, the NBA releases a ladder that lists the top three players for their major season awards like MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year. The latest December edition of the Defensive Player of the Year ladder featured Memphis Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks, not Jaren Jackson Jr.

Dillon Brooks landed at number three behind OG Anunoby at two and Brook Lopez at one. The case made for Brooks was even more staggering than Grizzlies fans expected. According to NBA.com, Memphis is a plus-153 when he is on the court, and minus-50 when off of it, which is 10 better on both ends than Ja Morant. On top of that, the former Oregon Duck is tasked with the toughest matchup night-in night-out. In his two games against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Top five scorer in the NBA), Dillon Brooks has held him to just 20.5 points per game on 31% shooting from the field. These stats may lead to a bigger question, can two Grizzlies’ players finish top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting?

Jaren Jackson Jr. could soon join Dillon Brooks on DPOY ladder

Even though Jackson Jr. is already top 10 in blocks, he has still missed more games than he’s played, which is exactly why the NBA left him off this list. However, he did just tie the franchise record for blocks in a game with his eight-swat performance against the Hawks on Monday. With only 11 games played, the former Spartan already has more blocks than both Rudy Gobert and Jarrett Allen. So as the season wears on, he will be right in the middle of this conversation, health permitting.

With a forgettable defensive start to the season, the Grizzlies have clawed all the way up to sixth in the league in defensive rating. As high flying as this team is, their defense could be what wins them a championship.