Jaren Jackson Jr. is now the betting favorite to be named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season.

Jackson’s emergence as the DPOY front-runner happened after it was announced San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama will miss the remainder of the season due to deep vein thrombosis.

Wembanyama was considered a heavy favorite to win the award, but will now not be eligible for the honor due to the NBA’s minimum 65-game policy for individual awards.

At ESPN BET, Jackson’s DPOY odds improved from +2500 to -120 following the announcement.

Interested in opening a new sportsbook account? Here’s a breakdown of all the best Michigan online sports betting sites to help you make the best decision!

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is not far behind Jackson at +125. However, barring injury, Jackson and Mobley appear to be in a 2-man race for the honor. The next-closest player is Dyson Daniels, who is currently priced at +1500 to win the award.

Jackson is averaging 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while leading Memphis to one of the best defenses in NBA. According to DunksAndThrees, Jackson is in the 97th percentile in defensive EPM for the 2024-25 season.

This would not be Jackson’s first DPOY award, if he does in fact go on to win it. He also took home the award in 2022-23.

Michigan State has history with this award, particularly in recent years. In addition to Jackson’s win, former Spartan Draymond Green won DPOY in 2016-17 and has made 8 all-defense teams in his career.