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NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds 2023: Jaren Jackson Jr. & Brook Lopez Co-Favorites

Jon Metler

March 30, 2023 11:00 AM EDT • 5 min 21 sec read.

Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrates a basket as we look at the NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds
Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrates a basket against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty.

Can Jaren Jackson Jr. retain the top spot on the NBA Defensive Player of the Year oddsboard? Check out our top NBA futures odds for the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year.

Who will win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award: Jaren Jackson Jr. or Brook Lopez? The Defensive Player of the Year has evolved into a two-man race and the odds reflect this sentiment - perhaps a bit too much.

Sportsbooks, let's calm down with the hold percentage as we enjoy the final weeks of the NBA season and this race. 

Here's a look at the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds with weeks left in the season, via our best NBA betting sites.   

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds 2023

NameDraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsPointsBet
Jaren Jackson Jr.-120 ❄️-110 -110-115 -115
Brook Lopez-110 -110-110-150 ❄️-115 
Giannis Antetokounmpo+3500+4600+5000 🔥+3500 +3300 ❄️
Bam Adebayo+4000+4600+5000 🔥+3500+3300 ❄️
Evan Mobley+7000+8000+8000 +2500 ❄️+4000
Anthony Davis+8000+8000+8000 +7500 ❄️+10000 🔥
Joel Embiid+20000 +24000 +25000 🔥+10000❄️N/A

Check out our 2023 NBA Finals Odds, NBA MVP 2023 Odds, and NBA Rookie of the Year 2023 Odds.

NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds analysis

As far as my odds analysis goes, all of our best sportsbooks are doing us a bit dirty by trading both Lopez and Jackson for minus money right now. Math was a subject I paid close attention to in school, and it doesn't add up in this case.

Let's break it down: -110 (52.38%) + -110 (52.38%) = 104.75% implied probability. And that's before factoring in all the other players who contribute to the hold percentage.

Futures markets tend to have a high hold percentage, which makes it more difficult to profit from them. Using multiple sports betting sites to create your own sportsbook is the best way to beat the hold percentage. The problem, in this case, is that all the sportsbooks are trading both players at minus money.

NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds movement

In the first week of March, Lopez was trading at +200, but now he has moved into minus money across the board. At that time, the best odds on Jackson could be found via FanDuel at -126, but now Jackson's odds are slightly shorter at -110. 

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds 2023: Favorite

Jaren Jackson Jr. (-110 via FanDuel)

After starting the season with +2000 odds, Jackson is one of two players trading at minus money to win Defensive Player of the Year, along with Lopez. Jackson has been near the top of the oddsboard most of the season, and his statistics back that up. 

Jackson is averaging 3.0 blocks per game, which leads the NBA and is significantly higher than Lopez's average of 2.5 blocks per game. As a rim protector, Jackson has excelled, and a couple extra blocks from the Memphis Grizzlies scorekeeper can't hurt.  

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds 2023: Contender

Brook Lopez (-110 via DraftKings)

As a team, the Milwaukee Bucks rank second in the NBA in defensive rating at 110.2, just slightly ahead of the Grizzlies at 110.5, which is why the race for Defensive Player of the Year is so close. 

Lopez began the season with odds of +50000 to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. No, this is not a typo. Lopez is now as short as -150 at Caesars to win the award and you just know that some bettors are sweating this ticket. I'm sure we will see some nice tickets from several bettors if Lopez is named the winner. 

Recent Defensive Player of the Year winners

YearNameClosing Odds
2021-22Marcus Smart+4000
2020-21Rudy Gobert+300
2019-20Giannis Antetokounmpo+400
2018-19Rudy Gobert+163
2017-18Rudy Gobert+325
2016-17Draymond Green+550
2015-16Kawhi Leonard+550

Defensive Player of the Year FAQs

Who won Defensive Player of the Year last year?

Marcus Smart won the DPOY award in 2021-22, becoming the first guard to do so since Gary Payton during the 1995-96 season.

When will Defensive Player of the Year be decided?

Though the date for the 2023 award hasn't been decided, the award was announced on April 18, 2022.

Who opened as the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year?

For the 2022-23 NBA season, Gobert opened at +400 as the betting favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Here are our best NBA betting sites:

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Written By:
Jon Metler
Jon Metler is a Sports Betting Analyst at SportsbookReview.com. Having played, coached, and officiated basketball, he immediately turned his attention to the NBA and College Basketball when he entered the sports betting space. Sports betting has been a part of his life for over 13 years, and he specializes in futures markets and player props, particularly in the NBA. In pursuit of value, he keeps a close eye on movements in the betting markets. He believes strongly in analytics and staying ahead of the curve; let the numbers do the talking. A graduate of the University of Windsor with a degree in Sports Studies, Jon enjoys spending time with his dogs when he isn't watching basketball.