3 Defensive Player of the Year candidates

Gaudy numbers and offensive-driven awards often win over fans, but keen NBA observers know that defense is half the battle.

With that, here are five Defensive Player of the Year candidates coming out of the All-Star break.

Draymond Green

As much as Steve Kerr's arrival and the continued improvement of the Splash Brothers have fueled Golden State's rise to the top of the league, the emergence of Green has been just as crucial for the Warriors.

The 24-year-old has stepped into the starting lineup and thrived, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Green can effectively guard four out of five positions (and can even handle smaller centers from time to time), cleans the defensive glass exceptionally well for a player his size and ranks at or near the top in most advanced defensive metrics.

Most importantly, a Warriors team that ranks No. 1 in defense allows only 95.4 points per 100 possessions with Green on the court, but 101.3 points per 100 possessions with their versatile forward on the bench  - a mark that would rank 11th, according to NBA.com.

Tim Duncan

It seems impossible, but the 14-time (soon to be 15-time) All-Defensive team member has yet to win a Defensive Player of the Year award. Now in his 18th season, the 38-year-old has as good a chance as ever.

Duncan anchors the league's No. 3 defense, ranks second in ESPN's defensive real plus/minus, fourth in Basketball Reference's defensive win shares, 12th in defensive rebound rate and is one of 11 players holding opposing players below a point per possession, according to Basketball Reference.

For the record, the oldest player to ever win Defensive Player of the Year was Dikembe Mutombo, who was 34 when he took home his fourth award in 2001.

Anthony Davis

The advanced defensive metrics, while still solid, aren't as kind to Davis as they are to the other players on this list. The MVP candidate will be hard-pressed to become the youngest ever Defensive Player of the Year, but his base numbers should at least keep him in the mix.

Davis's 2.7 blocks per game lead the league for the second year in a row, his 1.54 steals per game rank fourth among big men and the New Orleans Pelicans' defense is 5.9 points per 100 possessions stingier with The Brow on the court.

His ability to defend at a very high level without fouling is also exceptional. The 21-year-old averages only 2.1 fouls per game in nearly 36 minutes a night, and his 2.074 defensive plays per foul lead the league by a wide margin. 

In fact, the gap between Davis and second-place Jimmy Butler in terms of defensive plays per foul is equivalent to the gap between Butler and the 77th- or 78th-ranked player.

Honorable Mentions: Marc Gasol, Paul Millsap, DeAndre Jordan, Rudy Gobert, Tyson Chandler