Jazz’s Gobert Claims NBA Defensive Player Of The Year; Mitchell & Snyder miss out

Jazz’s Gobert Claims NBA Defensive Player Of The Year; Mitchell & Snyder miss out

Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz is the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.

The center was the leading vote-getter for the league’s All-Defensive first team.

Gobert anchored a Jazz defense that ranked second in the NBA in defensive rating.

He beat out Anthony Davis of New Orleans and Joel Embiid of Philadelphia.

Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell came in second in the voting for the NBA Rookie of the Year behind Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Simmons averaged 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, joining Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only rookies to post those numbers in a season.

He also beat out Jayson Tatum of Boston.

Dwane Casey has won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award for his work with his former team, the Toronto Raptors. He was fired last month and has since become coach of the Detroit Pistons.

Casey led the Raptors to the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time in franchise history. Toronto won a team-record 59 games. Casey coached the East in the All-Star Game for the first time.

Casey won over Quin Snyder of Utah and Brad Stevens of Boston.