Thunder’s Jaylen Williams wants to see 2 big changes to DPOI award

As it is The Oklahoma City Thunder are playing against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, looking to cement their place at the top of the Western Conference. Although Thunder star Jaylen Williams talked about being an All-Starhe also gives an interesting idea about the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOI) criteria and how the All Defensive Teams are categorized.

At the end of the season, in addition to the DPOI award, the NBA decides the players who are on the first and second teams for all defensive players. However, the offense gets the three teams that Williams said on “Young Man and Three” that he has “big deal with that.”

“I think they should add a third team,” Williams said. “I have a big thing with that, I don’t know how there are 3 teams in attack and only 2 teams in defense. So I think they should add a third defensive team.”

However, the point Williams made wasn’t as a way to pitch, but rather his teammate Lou Dort who did not make the NBA All-Defensive Team. In his opinion, Dort deserves credit for his defense, as during his time in Oklahoma City he talked about how Dort always had the “toughest matchup.”

“He definitely deserves it,” Williams said of Dort. “At least while I’ve been here, these last 3 years, he’s had the toughest matchup every year, every game in over 82 games. Played 100 games last year, has the best player for 100 games, the whole game. I don’t know how you don’t get it, I don’t make the rules. I think they should add a third team and I think there should be two Defensive Players of the Year.”

The Thunder’s Jalen Williams believes two people should win the DPOI

The The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is undoubtedly in the running for MVP award, but there’s no doubt Williams believes others on the team should receive some sort of recognition. Besides the NBA expanding all defensive teams to three, he even thinks the DPOI award should have two winners, one a big man and one a guard.

“It would be like a big and a guard,” Williams said. “They do 2 different things. It’s big every year and I feel like it’s just based on blocks. Like the guard never had to protect that paint, and Big never had to chase for a pin-down.”

Since the 2017-18 season, only one guard has won the award, and that was Marcus Smart with the Boston Celtics in 2021-22. Every other year in that span, it’s been a big man with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Rudy Gobert winning it three times.

Either way, the talent pool on the Thunder will continue to impress as they are 32-6 which puts them in first place in the Western Conference.