Milwaukee Bucks: Brook Lopez should be the early favorite for DPOY

Brook Lopez has been at the forefront of the Milwaukee Bucks’ top-ranked defense. Should he be the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year? 

Brook Lopez has been the driving force behind the Milwaukee Bucks‘ stellar defense to start this season.

Lopez has seemed to find a fountain of youth, and he is playing the best basketball he has played since being a member of the Brooklyn Nets. He is averaging a career-high of 2.5 blocks early this season, he also leads the league in contested shots per game with 251.

The next closest player is 46 contested shots away from that mark. Lopez has been unmatched as a rim protector early in the year. Brook has helped Milwaukee achieve the best half-court defense in the league with 88.7 points per 100 plays, which is the best number for that stat since Kevin Garnett led Boston Celtics in 2007-08, per cleaning the glass.

A healthy Brook Lopez has been a game-changer for the Milwaukee Bucks

These numbers are even more impressive considering he is coming off a major back surgery last year. Milwaukee has been short-handed to start the year, but that hasn’t stopped them from success as they sit at 11-3.

Drop coverage by Lopez has been Milwaukee’s best friend to open up the season. Between Giannis Antetokounmpo as a help defender and Brook Lopez as a rim protector, it is hard for teams to get what they want on the inside with Milwaukee.

The presence of Lopez on the inside also allows coach Mike Budenholzer to shift his focus a bit more on taking away the three, which has been a significant struggle for Milwaukee in recent years. If Lopez continues to play the way he has, the whole dynamic of Milwaukee’s defense changes and it makes things easier for the other four players on the floor with him.

One other encouraging stat is Milwaukee being 3rd in the NBA in opponent points per game with 106.4, which directly attests to Lopez’s play on the defensive end. The stats seem to be never-ending in support of his case for defensive player of the year, and if Lopez is able to play with the tantalizing force he has so far, the award may become his.

With Milwaukee’s team defensive numbers reaching new heights, attention will shift to who their most impactful player has been on that side of the ball, and it has been Brook Lopez. Some other names Brook is competing with for the award this year are his teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby.

There is a lot of season left to play, but at this rate, I’d say Brook Lopez is the frontrunner for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award.