Jaren Jackson Jr. Wins The 2022-23 Kia Defensive Player Of The Year | NBA on TNT

We have some business to do here because I have an envelope here Kia Defensive Player of the Year, but first a little history 40

year

s ago, the first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award was given to the Bucks, Sydney Moncrief, in fact , he won the first two 10

player

s won it several times led by Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace with four 14

player

s won it once a list that includes MJ Gary Payton Michael Cooper Kevin Garnett Giannis and last

year

's winner Marcus Smart we will have another first time winner here in 2023 the finalists for the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year are Jaron Jackson Jr of Memphis Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks and Evan Mobley of Cleveland would you like you would like to get the result yes well not only are we sitting here for the pleasure to do well like you normally do what do you think is good hey, hey, hey, let's do it, let's do it, let's not take away the moment when Kia's NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner is Jaron?

Jackson Jr of the Memphis Grizzlies well deserved yes, in fact, I have the uh, the tabulation here total points in the vote 391 Brook Lopez second with 309 and Mobley third with 101 Jaren Jackson Jr obtained 56 of the 100 first place votes for Brook Lopez with 31. What makes Shack today and you see Jaren Jackson Jr's numbers leading the NBA in block shots with three Brook Lopez, by the way, had the most blocks, but the blocks per game were Jaron Jackson. What makes the tape important? Big Man Defender. I can't answer about the defense, but I've blocked some shots. You know, when you can affect someone's shot, when you can affect them mentally, when they go into Lane, they know they're going to receive. touched up they are going to block it or you have to force them to alter a shot.

I was never a

defensive

stopper, but if you get past Kenny or Charles, I was able to find you at the rim and even touch up or block you. He definitely has that ability to make people change shots and he'll try. He's not afraid of being killed. I think that's the key. You know a lot of big guys, myself included if a guy outranks me and I don't. I don't want to embarrass myself, I would just let them go, but if I had enough time to meet him at The Rim or meet them before they reach the edge, I could block him, he definitely has that ability and I don't think anyone would.

He's definitely upset about this vote because as the league's leading shot blocker, you told me he goes after everything, makes people alter the shot, and is very, very active around the rim. What do you think, Chuck, about these three finalists and the winner Jaren Jackson, well, I think the answer is well deserved. Your first question is Alonzo Mourning, Mark Eden, the Kim Bay boys, when I look, they know he's coming. You know, yes, because as a good player. offensive I'm not even worried about the guy marking me. I'm going to go around it. I'm going to get the shot I want, but like when I played against those guys I just mentioned, Jaron Jackson reminds me of that.

I know he's coming to try to block my shot. at some point and you really have to say well, I have to be two guys, so when Jerry would you stop saying hello to non-defender, you didn't put me on that list, no, you're not a defender, no, so I wasn't. a shot blocker, he wasn't the underdog. Where did I call? I'm in the top 10. because you're bigger than everyone else, okay, so put me on that damn dog, he wasn't a shot blocker, I wasn't. looking at you like he's in the top 10. You're big and ugly, but that's another story for another time, but when I say you're looking for a guy all the time, that's what makes a guy a great shot.

A blocker like Shaq says a lot of guys are afraid of getting killed, but some guys don't care. Tomorrow, Dikembe, Mark Eden. I put my new bowl in that situation. Those guys come, so it really has to be two guys, but all three. These guys are well deserved, but Jaron Jackson deserved it. I have a little bit of a different perspective just because I had the unfortunate ability to play against a

defensive

play of the year on the perimeter and Gary Payton and then have him go in the lane against Dikembe Mutombo Alonzo Mourning, so they're two different ones, they're looking for blockers. shot.

I'm talking 94 feet and I always thought he's a great defender, even if he's on The Rim or on the perimeter, that's not the case. You can't beat them or you can't score on them, it's his second try, so once you beat him and you think you're gone, all of a sudden he comes back and they're still there and I throw to another guy. that he never won defensive play of the year and that would be monkey Bogues, right, a guy that has a great second effort in terms of the perimeter and that made people uncomfortable, but Gary Payton Jaron Jackson Mutombo Alonzo Morning, every game Marcus Smart They make you feel uncomfortable.

Because his second effort isn't always his first, we're thrilled to be joined by Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, now from Memphis, Jaron Jackson Jr., congratulations, Jared, great, thank you. I have my mom applauding. Oh man, look, I know this from Reading. Just in some of your history, obviously your father played in the NBA, won a ring with the San Antonio Spurs and I know you have the greatest appreciation, admiration, love for the man who taught you how to play the game the right way. you define playing the game the right way is winning basketball is uh always trying to win um you really put yourself second and everything that has to do with the team comes first um he always did that in his career so even if he doesn't I was able to follow his career and see that he always wanted to play winning basketball and that he was grateful enough to win a championship and that's what I'm trying to do now, so I'm trying to get one of my own congratulations from Junior . oh, we love your game, you have a fabulous game, for the sake of this award, at the beginning of the year you said to yourself: I want to be the defensive player of the year, uh, 100 um, it's something that only our team would take at next level if I'm in it if I'm in that kind of time playing defense helping everyone uh you know, when we play like that, the team defense really helps us, it's a big help, I have kind of a partner here to me right Dylan Brooks who brings it every night um and we laid the foundation for what we need to do as a team so I definitely said that to myself and I know he did. too and I'm glad we got one for the 901.

Two, a two part question number one, are you left handed or do you only block shots with your left hand? I don't know, I haven't figured it out. I usually tell them I'm right-handed, so they let me go left anyway, but I used to be left-handed when I was like three and then I switched because you know when you're shooting in the driveway you can. whatever you want and I just said you could change too, but you know what I mean, I don't know, yeah, interesting, you know, John, congratulations first of all. The other thing I would say is when your game really took off and people started to recognize it.

For you it was because of your offense and now they are recognizing you for the defense, where when you became an All-Star they said like he was shooting the three that he is posting, we didn't, we didn't know, I didn't hear that much. about your defense, which is interesting, how do you feel about that? I'm trying to put it all together. You want to be the best. You can put it all together. Be a good all-around player. You talk about the best two-way player. players, you know they had to do a lot, you have to have that stamina to be on both ends, it's really my dad, I mean, he made me do all kinds of crazy things in the gym, like work on my hook that I never could do.

Use it in AAU working on my three ball, you know, coach isn't asking the big guy to go shoot three, you're supposed to be in the post, so you know, now I can finally use it, uh, kind of an option of punctuation. on this team and it's all coming together a little bit Jaren, this is, I mean, this is a great season for you guys and for you guys personally, a first-time All-Star and now the defensive player of the year. um, I'm always curious. when when you receive an award like or the accolades that you've received this year where does your mind go in terms of the people who are responsible for doing this?

I know you've talked about your mom and dad, but who else? my entire coaching staff, um everyone this year, I mean, from T Jenks, who is definitely coach of the year, from him on, they've instilled in me the confidence to be aggressive offensively, but they've really unleashed me defensively to go out and do . whatever, um, there's so many people, man, uh, all my future coaches, my AAU coaches, um, my high school coaches, I mean, it's one of those things that you take home to everyone. the ones that you bring home to your city or family, uh, it means a lot like I'll bring it home to an organization that's adding another defensive player of the year to its belt and, you know, I'm doing it for a lot of reasons, so no I'll understand it right now, I'll probably understand it in the summer because Now I just have to prepare for the second game because we're playing in a couple of days, so that's what you're really focused on now.

Who else did you say you had Dylan there with you and your mom? It's Terry Terry is there inside me, my mom. here, but Dylan is here in spirit, does he want some air time? He would like to have some face time here on this momentous night for you. Can you not or not? She wants to stay behind the scenes. Hey, make sure mom cooks you a Really good home cooked meal tonight to celebrate well, there'll be plenty left for the next day Jared Jackson Jr. Congratulations man, well deserved, well deserved and we're happy for you.

Thank you. I appreciate it. Alright. I appreciate you. That is incredible. Yeah. That's good, well, and very deserving of that award, just like Brook Lopez, remember the All-Star pants with the Nets, we were like, yeah, I'd wear them, yeah, God, I forgot to ask, okay, well, you had your son, you had your, you had your chance. I'll be taking a break, we'll be back to talk about the Nets and the Sixers. Look at you at number 129 and you're talking about my defense. I'm 6'5 Chuck.