Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for games played in December, while Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley has claimed the award in the East, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, Jackson averaged 22.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks in 28.7 minutes per game over 14 appearances last month. He posted a shooting line of .464/.384/.780.
Jackson was the only player in the NBA to have 20-plus steals and 20-plus blocks last month, per the league, with Memphis ranking third in the West in defensive rating over that stretch.
Mobley, who made the All-Defensive First Team alongside Jackson in 2023, averaged 18.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.3 BPG on .589/.524/.696 shooting 12 December games (28.9 MPG). The Cavs led the East in defensive rating last month. Mobley was tied for second in the East in contested shots per game in December (10.0).
The Cavaliers, who have won eight straight and hold the best record in the league (29-4), have the NBA’s top offense and eighth-best defense. Memphis, which has the second-best record in the West at 23-11, ranks fifth and fourth in those categories, respectively.
Jackson beat out Toumani Camara, Anthony Davis, Kris Dunn, Walker Kessler and Victor Wembanyama in the West. The other nominees in the East were Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Dyson Daniels and Jalen Suggs (Twitter link).
Wembanyama and Daniels won the awards for games played in October and November. This is the first season in which the monthly defensive honors have been given.
Great month for Jackson but Wemby is defensive player of the month every month – not because of his stats but because of 10 shots in the paint teams don’t even attempt each night.