Photo: Instagram/Jaren Jackson Jr. On Monday, the NBA announced that Jaren Jackson Jr . of the Memphis Grizzlies has been awarded the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year award. Jackson led the league with an average of three blocks per game, while also averaging one steal per game. Despite missing the first month of the season, the Grizzlies had the third-best defense in the NBA, allowing 110.3 points per 100 possessions, since his return on Nov. 15. Photo: Instagram/Jaren Jackson Jr., the Allstar of Memphis Grizzlies, has recently been awarded the title of 2022-2023 Kia Defensive Player of the Year. Jackson faced some tough competition throughout the year. Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks was the favorite for much of the season, and Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers made a strong push towards the end. Jackson's playing time was also called into question by some voters, as he was on the court for only 45% of the Grizzlies' total minutes this season. Earlier in the ...