2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Picks

Chet Holmgren is the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner at the midway point of the NBA season, ahead of four-time winner Rudy Gobert and Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama.

Is the Oklahoma City Thunder center poised to win the award for the first time or will someone else steal it away? Let's look at the latest NBA Defensive Player of the Year futures. Odds are subject to change.

DPOY
Chet Holmgren (OKC)	-125	-125	-125
Rudy Gobert (MIN)	+280	+280	+280
Victor Wembanyama (SAS)	+550	+550	+550
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	+1700	+1700	+1700
Amen Thompson (HOU)	+2000	+2000	+2000
Scottie Barnes (TOR)	+3500	+3500	+3500

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Why not Wemby?

Victor Wembanyama (+550) is clearly the league's best defensive player. Opponents simply have no answer for the 7-foot-5 specimen, shooting nearly 10% worse this season when he’s near them. However, before you go running to place a bet, remember that the NBA requires players to suit up in 65 games to be awards eligible.

Having already missed 14 of the Spurs first 44 contests due to both a left calf strain and a left knee hyperextension, it's highly unlikely that Wemby meets the games played criteria.

Chet Holmgren is the ceiling raiser for the NBA’s best team. He’s at the center of its newest rivalry. And he’s probably trolling you online.

Holmgren is the great unknown of the Oklahoma City Thunder—and he’s just scratching the surface. @loganmmurdock:…

— The Ringer (@ringer) January 13, 2026

Holmgren favored

Chet Holmgren (-125) is in the driver seat for the DPOY with Wembanyama just a few games missed away from being ineligible for the award. Recently called the "number one rim protector in the league" by Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, the 7-footer anchors Oklahoma City's league-best defense.

While Holmgren's candidacy is buoyed by his team's dominance, the Thunder are still a top-three defense in the NBA when he's not on the court. In contrast, the Timberwolves have a bottom-three defense when Rudy Gobert is off the court and a top-ten defense when he's on it.

Can Gobert win a 5th DPOY?

Rudy Gobert (+280) already has four Defensive Player of the Year awards, tying him with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace for the most in NBA history. While 15 of the past 16 DPOY winners have been in their 20s, the 33-year-old Frenchman is having a vintage season in Minnesota.

Thanks to Gobert's elite rim protection, the T-Wolves have a 108.2 defensive rating when Gobert is on the floor, compared to a 123.9 defensive rating when he sits.

Rudy Gobert Peaking offensively while getting his 5th DPOY in year 13 is incredible pic.twitter.com/g8Pw3wIyH1

— MNMuse (@_MNMuse) January 21, 2026

Where's Evan Mobley?

Evan Mobley (+5000) isn't even in the conversation this season after hoisting the award in 2025. That bucks a trend that's seen the previous year's DPOY winner capture the honor again the following campaign. Why? Well, Cleveland is seventh in the East this season after winning the conference last year. The Cavs are also 14th in defensive efficiency, down from 8th in 2024-25.

2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Picks

Wembanyama is a horrendous bet at +550 considering he only has to miss 3 more games to be ineligible for the award. Holmgren is also a scary bet at -125 considering his own injury history and metrics that show OKC is just fine defensively with him off the court.

Therefore, we'll take Gobert (+280) to win his record fifth Defensive Player of the Year award.

Rudy Gobert Defensive Player of the Year

+280

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