No. 3 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year:
There are many who were disappointed Thad Young did not make the NBA All Defensive Team last season after he and Myles Turner led an Indiana Pacers squad to a league leading defensive best of 104.7 points a game.
Young will seize the opportunity, as a veteran presence, to lead by example and play lock down defense again this year. Look for Young to finish many games and be assigned down the stretch to the other teams best scorer. Together with Ryan Arcidiacono, Wendell Carter Jr. and Gafford, there is a core of hard-nosed, team first players in place to support a defensive transformation.
The only other Bull that seems a remote possibility for grabbing this award is Carter Jr. but he is probably still a couple of years away from qualifying. He would be best served focusing on staying healthy and making the Rising-Stars Game to be held in Chicago next year.