“LeBron James and Jamal Murray don’t deserve to be on this list”: NBA.com’s Defensive Player of the Year ladder has Ben Simmons above Rudy Gobert, includes Lakers and Nuggets stars

NBA.com has released their new leaderboard for Defensive Player of the Year, including LeBron James, Ben Simmons and Jamal Murray.

Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz are flying high at the top of the league at the moment. But Rudy might not be favorite for Defensive Player of the Year honors anymore, if we’re to believe Steve Aschburner.

Ben Simmons has dislodged him from the top of this leaderboard for his stupendous play this past week. While the Sixers are still on top of the East, Utah have lost some ground after losing 3 of their last 6 games.

They gave up 129 points to Zion Williamson and co last night, losing the game despite some great shooting. The Pelicans’ All-Star had his way with Rudy, dropping 26 points, with most of them from inside the paint.

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Rudy’s case also suffered a hit when Ben Simmons dropped 19 points in a quarter on his head. The Jazz won the game on the back of Jordan Clarkson’s shooting, but Simmons had his way with the slower Rudy Gobert in a center’s role.

NBA fans react to LeBron James and Jamal Murray featuring on the DPOY charts

LeBron has been stupendous over the past 2 seasons on the defensive end. No one except haters would disagree with his inclusion on the DPOY leaderboard – the Lakers have again been the league’s best defense this year, in large part due to James’s presence.

Nevertheless, we know that greatness spawns jealousy and hatred, which is what some fans displayed for him:

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But obviously, what really puzzled many fans was Jamal Murray’s inclusion. The Nuggets guard has been regarded as a sieve on defense, but he’s doing his best to change that reputation this year. He might have some work to do on that end, judging from the reactions: