Derick Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol was named the NBA‘s 2012-2013 Defensive Player of the Year award Wednesday, after anchoring one of the league’s best defenses. Gasol was a key reason for the Grizzlies only allowing an NBA-best 89.3 points per game, and he deserved to win the award based on his overall defensive presence and importance to the Grizzlies game plan.
Many will argue that a perimeter player such as LeBron James or Gasol’s teammate Tony Allen should have won the award. Some would even favor Tim Duncan or Joakim Noah over Gasol as the league’s top defender for this season. But when you look at Gasol’s overall value for the Grizzlies, a case can be made for why Gasol was the proper selection.
Gasol was the physical and vocal leader of the Grizzlies’s defense this year, and could be seen all season shutting his man down individually, hedging on screens to help his teammates and communicating better than almost anyone on the floor. Gasol was also one of few players to average over 1.5 blocks (he averaged 1.7) and one steal a game (Gasol accounted for 80 steals in 80 games this season).
If James or any other player would have won the award there most likely wouldn’t be much of an arguement, given that LeBron has become one of the best defenders in the NBA. But few players take on quite as much responsibility as Gasol did this past season. Writers took notice of his efforts, and in the end awarding Gasol the DPOY award this season was the correct choice. He earned it.
