Forecast NBA 2026-27NBA awards
● Data as of 2026-10-18 · Freshness verifiedNBA · 2026-27
Defensive Player of the Year
What past winners reveal and what Forecast projects today.
Ten previous editions
Winner, their team’s regular-season record and subsequent playoff outcome.
| Season | Player | Team | Record | Games | Win % | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 62–20 | 82 | 75.6% | Finalist4-1 · NYK | ||
| 2024-25 | 64–18 | 82 | 78% | Conference semifinals4-1 · IND | ||
| 2023-24 | 56–26 | 82 | 68.3% | Conference finals4-1 · DAL | ||
| 2022-23 | 51–31 | 82 | 62.2% | First round4-2 · LAL | ||
| 2021-22 | 51–31 | 82 | 62.2% | Finalist4-2 · GSW | ||
| 2020-21 | 52–20 | 72 | 72.2% | Conference semifinals4-2 · LAC | ||
| 2019-20 | 56–17 | 73 | 76.7% | Conference semifinals4-1 · MIA | ||
| 2018-19 | 50–32 | 82 | 61% | First round4-1 · HOU | ||
| 2017-18 | 48–34 | 82 | 58.5% | Conference semifinals4-1 · HOU | ||
| 2016-17 | 67–15 | 82 | 81.7% | Champion4-1 · CLE |
Win percentage uses games actually played, including shortened seasons. Playoffs are retrospective context, not information available to voters. Historical association is not causation.
Published projections · 2026-27
Projected impact and team wins provide context. They are not award-winning probabilities or an award-specific candidate shortlist.
Teams
Data as of Oct 18, 2026 · Freshness verified
| Team | Expected wins | Games | Win % | Published range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61.3 | 82 | 74.8% | 50–7380% | |
| 54 | 82 | 65.9% | 42–6680% | |
| 53.9 | 82 | 65.7% | 42–6680% | |
| 52.3 | 82 | 63.7% | 41–6480% | |
| 52.2 | 82 | 63.6% | 40–6480% | |
| 51.5 | 82 | 62.8% | 40–6380% | |
| 50.7 | 82 | 61.8% | 39–6280% | |
| 50.1 | 82 | 61.1% | 38–6280% | |
| 47.1 | 82 | 57.4% | 35–5980% | |
| 45.2 | 82 | 55.2% | 34–5780% | |
| 44.3 | 82 | 54% | 33–5680% | |
| 44.1 | 82 | 53.8% | 32–5680% | |
| 43.3 | 82 | 52.8% | 32–5580% | |
| 42.1 | 82 | 51.4% | 30–5480% | |
| 40.9 | 82 | 49.8% | 29–5280% | |
| 39.9 | 82 | 48.6% | 28–5180% | |
| 39.3 | 82 | 47.9% | 28–5180% | |
| 38.9 | 82 | 47.4% | 27–5180% | |
| 37.7 | 82 | 45.9% | 26–4980% | |
| 36.1 | 82 | 44% | 24–4880% | |
| 34.6 | 82 | 42.2% | 23–4680% | |
| 34 | 82 | 41.4% | 22–4680% | |
| 33.9 | 82 | 41.4% | 22–4680% | |
| 32.6 | 82 | 39.8% | 21–4480% | |
| 32.5 | 82 | 39.6% | 21–4480% | |
| 31.3 | 82 | 38.2% | 20–4380% | |
| 28.4 | 82 | 34.6% | 17–4080% | |
| 28.2 | 82 | 34.4% | 17–4080% | |
| 25.9 | 82 | 31.6% | 14–3880% | |
| 24 | 82 | 29.2% | 12–3680% |
Players
Sorted by projected impact, without applying award eligibility rules. Impact alone does not measure defense, improvement or a bench role.
Data as of Oct 18, 2026 · Freshness verified
| Player | Team | Projected impact · BPM scale | Published range | Expected games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +11.1 | 9–13.180% | 64.243.9–78.1 | ||
| +9.9 | 7.8–11.980% | 6746.7–80.9 | ||
| +9.6 | 7.5–11.680% | 62.442.1–76.3 | ||
| +8 | 5.9–1080% | 64.143.8–78 | ||
| +6.9 | 4.8–980% | 51.423.1–72.3 | ||
| +6.7 | 4.6–8.880% | 55.535.2–69.4 | ||
| +5.8 | 1.8–9.780% | 36.48.1–57.3 | ||
| +5.4 | 3.3–7.580% | 67.347–81.2 | ||
| +4.6 | 2.5–6.680% | 66.546.2–80.4 | ||
| +4.3 | 2.2–6.480% | 65.144.8–79 | ||
| +4.3 | 2.2–6.480% | 46.818.5–67.7 | ||
| +4.1 | 0.2–8.180% | 49.721.3–80.5 | ||
| +4.1 | 2–6.180% | 68.348–82 | ||
| +4 | 1.9–6.180% | 61.841.5–75.7 | ||
| +4 | 1.9–680% | 6847.7–81.9 | ||
| +3.9 | 1.8–5.980% | 67.847.5–81.7 | ||
| +3.7 | 1.6–5.880% | 49.321–70.2 | ||
| +3.6 | 1.5–5.780% | 62.342–76.2 | ||
| +3.6 | 0.9–6.380% | 52.924.6–73.8 | ||
| +3.6 | 1.5–5.680% | 73.453.1–82 |
Ranges express projection uncertainty, not award probabilities.
Sources and scope
NBA awards, regular-season standings and playoff results held by SportiveWorld. Official NBA history ↗
SportiveWorld Forecast: published team-win and player-impact projections.
Retrieved: Oct 18, 2026
Projection reference
frc:nba.team.season_wins:2026-10-18:16f6ef555a9716f6ef555a979e98ec38d2bdb133896d875274deb4a63f3e72d08a21eb8fc687
frc:nba.player.season_impact:2026-10-18:6e16bd47697f6e16bd47697fc425b55a17b98e401c2848e5cbda57b0076581821e631d75ca1d