Winning the title is the goal of all players, but an individual trophy certainly cannot be denied. Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid, for example, hope to do well for the title of defender of the year, but the competition is fierce. So much so that a suspicion of cheating has just been revealed concerning the favorite…
If we put aside the ring, winning an individual title remains something very prestigious for any player. An MVP is a trophy that cannot be refused, even if others play in other categories. For Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, Joel Embiid and company, the DPOY remains prestigious and very important, just to recognize their impact on a parquet floor. But this year, the competition seems… rigged.
Potential cheat for the DPOY!
To follow the statistics of a player, we recall that the scoreboard is there for that, in order to attribute points, assists, rebounds, counters and company. The NBA does a check behind, but not necessarily in the smallest details. This is where a user of the Reddit forum comes in, and accuses Memphis of inflating the stats of Jaren Jackson Jr… favorite for the defender of the year.
Jaren Jackson Jr has 66 blocks in 16 home games, an average of 4.13 per game, compared to just 35 in 16 away games, or 2.19 playing the same number of minutes. (…) he went from -10,000 to win the trophy to -200 (the favorite, editor’s note) among the bookmakers.
I watched a few games, and a pattern emerges: as soon as JJJ plays at home, he is credited with extra blocks and interceptions, which never happened. It just needs to be close to the action for it to be given the stat.
Written charges are one thing, visual evidence is another. Faced with such remarks, Internet users got to work:
I’ve gathered a few (of many) video examples of stats wrongly credited to JJJ:
1. Zion Williamson loses the ball on a drive to the basket and Tyus Jones recovers it. JJJ was credited for blocking Zion’s “layup”. https://t.co/mxXiOyDyo5 pic.twitter.com/0JBFi0hcHA
— Jon Asaad (@jaynbablog) January 28, 2023
I’ve compiled some (of many) examples of JJJ’s falsely given stats. 1. Zion Williamson loses the ball to the circle and Tyus Jones has it back. JJJ was credited with “countering” this layup.
4. Brandon Clarke blocks Saban Lee’s layup but JJJ is awarded with the block. https://t.co/QaKVEO57Jl pic.twitter.com/deRgnWE3N1
— Jon Asaad (@jaynbablog) January 28, 2023
4. Brandon Clarke blocks Saban Lee’s layup but JJJ is credited with the block.
The magnitude of the Reddit post is such that some bookmakers have withdrawn bets on this title from DPOY:
Defensive Player of the Year is currently off of the board at Caesar’s. We might be witnessing the most destructive Reddit post in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/0QqVymTv6R
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) January 28, 2023
The Defenseman of the Year is currently retired at Caesars. We are witnessing perhaps the most destructive reddit post in NBA history.
For its part, the NBA affirms that the statistics of Jaren Jackson Jr are real, and verified by the league after each meeting. Insider Kevin O’Connor confirms that this is a fake controversy:
I watched every block by Jaren Jackson Jr. in slow motion from alternate angles to investigate the NBA Reddit thread claiming the Grizzlies scorekeeper is “posting fraudulent numbers.”
But only 3 of his 66 home blocks are incorrectly labeled, a completely insignificant amount. pic.twitter.com/84ZiE1rPVD
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 28, 2023
I watched all of Jaren Jackson Jr’s counters in slow motion from another perspective on this reddit thread. Only 3 blocks out of 66 are unfairly credited, an insignificant amount.
Jaren Jackson Jr is favorite for Defender of the Year, but not everyone is happy. Start of controversy for interior? The NBA in any case wanted to react to this soap opera, saying that the Grizzlies player was not favored by the scoring table. Update done.
