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New York Knicks: Handing out awards for the 2017-18 NBA season

By Maxwell Ogden

PHOENIX, AZ - JANUARY 26: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks before the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 26, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - JANUARY 26: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks before the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 26, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 15: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson #24 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots against Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks during their game at the Barclays Center on January 15, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 15: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson #24 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots against Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks during their game at the Barclays Center on January 15, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

Defensive Player of the Year: Kristaps Porzingis

Frank Ntilikina certainly has a stake to the claim, but the Defensive Player of the Year is clearly Kristaps Porzingis. Despite appearing in just 48 games, Porzingis did more than enough to prove that he’s already a legitimate candidate for the NBA’s award.

An elite shot-blocker and the best rim protector in the NBA from a statistical perspective, the 22-year-old is already a force to be reckoned with.

Porzingis finished his third NBA season with a league-best average of 2.4 blocks per game. That alone gives him an early advantage in the Knicks’ team-specific race for Defensive Player of the Year, but it’s only a fraction of what validates his status.

Porzingis held opponents to 49.2 percent shooting at the rim—the No. 1 mark in the NBA by a massive margin of 3.2 percent.

Furthermore, the Knicks recorded a Defensive Rating of 105.4 with Porzingis on the floor. That may not be a captivating number, but it’s made even more impressive by the fact that New York accumulated a Defensive Rating of 110.3 without Porzingis—4.9 points per 100 possessions worse.

If not for the injury, Porzingis would have had a case for both an All-Defensive Team selection and overall Defensive Player of the Year honors.

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