Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. wins Defensive Player of the Year

Grizzlies power forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. became the second-youngest Defensive Player of the Year in NBA history, the league announced Monday night.

Jackson finished ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks‘ Brook Lopez and the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ Evan Mobley, garnering 56 out of 100 first-place votes and 391 total points. Lopez came in second with 31 first-place votes and 309 points, while Mobley came in third with eight first-place votes and 101 points. The voting panel consisted of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.

Jackson joins Alvin Robertson, Kawhi Leonard and Dwight Howardas the only 23-year-olds to win the award. Only Howard, by a matter of a few months, was younger than Jackson when he received the honor.

Jackson led the league in blocked shots (3.0 per game) for the second consecutive season while anchoring the NBA’s third-ranked defense (110.7 points per 100 possessions).

The Grizzlies allowed only 106.6 points per 100 possessions with Jackson on the floor and opponents shot only 44.0% in the paint when he was the closest defender, which ranked as the stingiest in the league among rotation players.

Jackson is the second player in Grizzlies franchise history to win the honor, following center Marc Gasol (2012-13).

Jackson also earns the award’s first Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, which the NBA introduced before the season as part of a leaguewide rebrand of the end-of-season honors.