Defensive Player of the Year odds: Giannis Antetokounmpo favored to win, OG Anunoby a sleeper pick

Close to a month into the NBA season, it looks like it'll be an exciting year. We've seen a number of young teams compete with the usual stars, making for a tight playoff race. It's always fun to keep an eye on the NBA award races as the season goes on. Below we take a look at the Defensive Player of the Year odds and who you should bet on.

Defensive Player of the Year 2022-23 odds

The biggest note with these awards is that players on losing teams ever win it. The Rookie of the Year award is probably the only one where we could see a player on a team out of the playoff race win. In 2022, Marcus Smart won the award and the Boston Celtics lost in the NBA Finals. In 2021, Rudy Gobert won it with the Utah Jazz and the Jazz were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The clear favorite this season is Giannis Antetokounmpo who is set at +330 and it's for good reason. His size and athleticism makes him one of the hardest players in the NBA to score on. He also has a ton of versatility of who he can guard.

Bam Adebayo and Evan Mobley are good bets as well. Adebayo sits at +750. He is similar to Giannis with his versatility, but he's even better guarding guards. On screens, he always switches and can be matched up with any position 1-5. Mobley is set at +800. He has great length and makes his presence around the rim felt. Playing alongside Jarrett Allen, the Cavaliers have a great defensive front court.

Another player worth taking a look at is OG Anunoby. He's a bit of a long shot, but he wants that award. In a postgame press conference, he said he has always wanted to be the Defensive Player of the Year and that he's always felt he was the best defensive player in the league. He leads the NBA with steals per game at 3.1. Through the first few weeks, there is a chance that he's a finalist as long as the Toronto Raptors make the playoffs. He's listed at +1800 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

  
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