Jaren Jackson Jr. wins 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of Year originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
It's a parade inside Memphis.
Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. is having quite the season, recording career-bests in several statistical categories, and now he has the hardware to pair with it. The 23-year-old won the 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, the NBA announced on Monday.
Jackson, the No. 4 overall pick by Memphis in 2018, posted career-bests this season in points (18.6), rebounds (6.8) and blocks (3.0), among other stats, en route to receiving his first All-Star nod back in February.
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He led the league in blocks per game for the second consecutive season after receiving All-Defensive Team honors last year, with another nod likely on the horizon.
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Jackson is now the second player in Memphis' franchise history to win DPOY. Marc Gasol last represented the team in 2013.
The other two finalists this year were Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks) and Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers).
Jackson took home 56 first-place votes in the official voting ballot released by the league and accumulated 391 total points. Lopez came in second with 309 points while Mobley had 101. Neither Lopez nor Mobley has won the award, so all three were in position to claim their first.
Jackson and the Grizzlies will next be in action on Wednesday in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers and need a win at home after losing the opener on Sunday.
