Rim protection is essential to defense in the NBA and the league is chock full of capable shot blockers. Five players blocked more than 2.0 shots per game last season, but Jaren Jackson Jr. stood out from the pack en route to his second consecutive block title. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year seems likely to make a run at a three-peat, but there are other options on the table worth considering. Here's who you should consider betting on ahead of 2023-24.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (+175)
Jackson Jr. led the league with 3.0 blocks per game last season and trailed Brook Lopez in total blocks by four despite playing 15 fewer games. Health has long been a concern for the Memphis Grizzlies big man, but it's hard to match his production when he's on the court. He averaged a league-high 3.8 blocks per 36 minutes last season. Jackson has never logged more than 30.0 minutes per game and could be set a new career high with Ja Morant set to miss the first 25 games of the 2023-24.
Nic Claxton (+300)
Only Lopez blocked more total shots than Claxton last season. The Brooklyn Nets center swatted 189 shots and started in all 76 of the games he appeared in. Lopez edged Claxton out by four rejections and played two more games. That's a slim margin and Claxton doesn't have nearly as much defensive frontcourt help as Lopez. He'll be asked to anchor an interior defense that doesn't know what to expect from the likes of Day'Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney.
Brook Lopez (+800)
It's surprising to see Lopez at +800 after the season he had last year, but I suppose there's doubt that he can replicate the best defensive season of his career. The Milwaukee Bucks big man tallied 193 blocks and was a runaway favorite to be the blocks leader before Jackson made his ridiculous surge. Lopez is a much more disciplined defender than Jackson, who led the league with 3.6 fouls committed per game. Kessler Walker (+200) is a contender after averaging 3.7 blocks per 36 minutes last season, but averaged just 23.0 minutes per game and made 40 starts. It's unclear how the Utah Jazz will run their big rotation with John Collins in the mix. Lopez has steadily produced blocks at a high level for years and hardly ever misses time. There's plenty of value to be had here.
