Marc Gasol Reportedly Will Be Named 2013 NBA Defensive Player of the Year

Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol reportedly will take home one of the NBA's most coveted pieces of hardware for his accomplishments on the defensive end of the floor.

ESPN's Chris Vernon was the first to report that Gasol is expected to take home the 2013 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award:

Gasol established himself as one of the stingiest post defenders in the league during the 2012-13 season. He will best a group of candidates that included teammate Tony Allen, San Antonio Spurs forward/center Tim Duncan and Miami Heat star LeBron James.

Despite losing rugged defender Rudy Gay in a midseason trade with the Toronto Raptors, there hasn't been any drop-off for Lionel Hollins' defense this season. At 89.5 points allowed per game, the Grizzlies lead the NBA in scoring defense.

Though he's not among the league leaders in many of the most noted defensive stats, the man in the middle of the Memphis defense is the glue that keeps opposing teams from scoring in the paint.

In addition to contributing on offense with 14.2 points and 4.0 assists in 35.2 minutes per game, Gasol also averages 7.8 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steal per game—numbers that helped him place fifth on the NBA's defensive rating list for the 2012-13 season (h/t Basketball-Reference).

He's also second (h/t Basketball-Reference) on the NBA's defensive win shares list behind only Indiana's Paul George.

Gasol also checks in at 12th on the blocks per game list, but as noted by NBA.com's Jeff Caplan, his stats don't tell the true story of how important his place in the middle of the defense has been for Memphis to survive the Gay trade and actually enter the postseason as the league's best overall defensive team.

No doubt the team aspect of having quality defenders like Allen, Mike Conley, Tayshaun Prince and rebound-eater Zach Randolph has helped Memphis' case as the best defensive team in basketball this season.

It has also helped Gasol's individual case as the best defensive player in the league, but teammates and coaches will likely tell you that having Gasol in the middle of the defense is one of the big reasons why Memphis had the success it did this season.

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