2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Picks, Odds, Trends & Sleeper Candidates

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds and Betting Advice For The 2025-26 Season!

Sportsmemo’s Steve Seagrave gives 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds, picks and predictions including sleepers on who will lift the hardware come the end of the season! Which players have the best odds to win?

What are some key NBA Defensive Player of the Year betting trends to keep an eye on? Get Steve’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year picks below!

2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds (DraftKings)

Past NBA Defensive Player of the Year Winners

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Betting Trends

*Dikembe Mutombo, Ben Wallace and Rudy Gobert have each won the award a record four times. Dwight Howard has won the award three times and he’s the only player to win the award in three consecutive seasons. Sideny Moncrief, Mark Eaton, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning and Kawhi Leonard have each won the award twice. 

*Players must appear in 65 games to be eligible for the award; to get credit for a game played they must play at least 20 minutes. 

2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Prediction Outside of Wembanyama: Dyson Daniels, Hawks (+2200)

For the second consecutive season, Victor Wembanyama starts as a minus-odds favorite to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year at -175 after entering last season with -155 odds.

Wemby was well on his way to actually winning the award until a blood clot in his right shoulder cut his season short at 46 games and Evan Mobley stepped in and won the award. In the past, voters have rewarded the best defensive players on the best defensive teams.

For 12 straight seasons, the DPOY came from a team that ranked 1st or 2nd in points allowed per 100 possessions.

However, voters stepped away from that formula as Mobley won the award for a Cavaliers team that ranked 8th in that category. Dyson Daniels finished 2nd in the DPOY award voting last season with 25 1st place votes compared to Evan Mobley’s 35.

Daniels led the NBA in steals (229), stocks (steals + blocks) (284) and deflections (366). The Atlanta Hawks guard became the first player since Alvin Robertson in 1990-91 to average 3+ steals (3.01/game) and he tied Allen Iverson’s record for most four steal games.

The Hawks currently have the 4th best odds to win the Eastern Conference with the return of Jalen Johnson and the additions of Kristaps Porzingis & Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

“The Great Barrier Thief’ became the first guard since Michael Jordan (1989-90) to lead the NBA in stocks, and he will continue to turn heads while making a strong case for DPOY at +2200. 

Other 2025-26 NBA Futures Picks Below

2025-26 NBA MVP Award

2025-26 NBA Season Win Totals

2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year

2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year

2025-26 NBA Most Improved Player of the Year

2025-26 NBA 6th Man of the Year

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