San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard won the 2014-2015 Defensive Player. He has now won DPOY and Finals MVP within 10 months of each. An incredible accomplishment, and well-earned. Had Leonard played in all 82 games, or even 72, I would have thought him a shoo-in. He is without a doubt the most feared individual defender in the league. It's an incredible accomplishment as Leonard becomes the first wing defender since Ron Artest in 2004 to win the award.
If you ask me who the most fearsome defender in the league is, my answer would be Kawhi Leonard.
But that's not why he won.
| 2014-15 Defensive Player of Year | |||||
| Kawahi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs was named the 2014-15 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Here are the top players and voting results of media and broadcasters using a system which awards 5 points for a first-place vote and 3-points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote. | |||||
| Player, Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | |
| Kawahi Leonard, Spurs | 37 | 41 | 25 | 333 | |
| Draymond Green, Warriors | 45 | 25 | 17 | 317 | |
| DeAndre Jordan, Clippers | 32 | 25 | 26 | 261 | |
| Anthony Davis, Pelicans | 11 | 15 | 7 | 107 | |
| Rudy Gobert, Jazz | 2 | 4 | 11 | 33 | |
| Andrew Bogut, Warriors | 0 | 6 | 13 | 31 | |
| Tony Allen, Memphis | 1 | 4 | 12 | 29 | |
| Tim Duncan, Spurs | 1 | 1 | 4 | 12 | |
| Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Hornets | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | |
| Jimmy Butler, Bulls | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
| Marc Gasol, Grizzlies | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
| Joakim Noah, Bulls | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| LeBron James, Cavaliers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| Trevor Ariza, Rockets | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Patrick Beverly, Rockets | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| DeMarre Carroll, Hawks | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Nerlens Noel, PHI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Chris Paul, Clippers | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Hassan Whiteside, Heat | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
See, Leonard didn't receive the most votes for the best defender this season. That went to Draymond Green, who had 45 first-place votes to Leonard's 37. But what wound up being the determining factor was... DeAndre Jordan?!
Jordan helmed the 15th best defense in the league this season. The Warriors were No.1 and the Spurs third in points per possession allowed respectively. But Doc Rivers campaigned for Jordan. He went to bat for him daily. That kind of plea from a media-savvy coach like Rivers can go a long way. There were 14 voters who put Jordan first, Green second. That, along with other voting bits of interest, was enough to swing the vote.
Green was completely absent from 42 ballots, Leonard from just 26. That was the way Leonard won the award, by being more present on the ballots, while Jordan chewed away at Green's voting base like Ross Perot on George H.W. Bush, and 42 people failed to recognize Green whatsoever.
There are a lot of what ifs with an award like this, but the biggest reasons the presumptive winner didn't go that way were
a. Leonard lead the league in steals, an easily identifiable stat
b. Jordan chipped away at enough of his lead, which you wonder can be attributed to Rivers' presence in the same California market Green plays in
c. Leonard was more easily identifiable as a defender, hence his more consistent presence on the ballot somewhere.
It seems weird that a player who missed 18 games and finished with the second-most first-place votes has won DPOY. But if you don't think Leonard is worthy of the award, you're crazy. He deserves the Defensive Player of the Year award. You can just argue that other guys deserved it too, not only based on their value, but based on the voting itself.
(You can see the total voting results here, including guys who are employed by the team or their television partners on all three sides voting for their guys. Have I mentioned the awards system is a little screwy?)
| Our experts' picks for 2014-15 Defensive Player of Year | |||||
 Ken Berger @KBergCBS |
 Zach Harper @TalkHoops |
 James Herbert @outsidethenba |
 Matt Moore @MattMooreCBS |
 Ananth Pandian @Ananth_Pandian |
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| Defensive Player of the Year |
 Draymond Green GS |
 Tim Duncan SA |
Draymond Green GS |
Draymond Green GS |
Draymond Green GS |
