MENU
The NBA’s top shot-blocker is the player who leads the league in blocked shots during a particular season. This is awarded to the player with the highest blocks per game average. To qualify for the award, the player must play at least 70 games or have at least 100 blocks.
Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Mark Eaton and Marcus Camby each have won the award four times. Camby and Dikembe Mutombo won the award in three straight seasons, which is the record for most consecutive blocked shots titles won. Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers is the reigning top-shot blocker in the NBA. Turner averaged 2.7 blocks per game last season. This coming season, the NBA betting gods have put Turner among the favorites to lead the league in blocked shots again.
Here are the odds to lead the NBA in blocked shots during the 2019-20 NBA season.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Andre Drummond | -250 |
| Joel Embiid | +750 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | +1200 |
| Rudy Gobert | +1400 |
| Hassan Whiteside | +1400 |
| Karl Anthony Towns | +1600 |
| Anthony Davis | +2500 |
| Steven Adams | +3000 |
| DeAndre Jordan | +3000 |
| Nikola Vucevic | +3000 |
Who Are the Favorites?
Andre Drummond was the Detroit Pistons’ 9th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The two-time NBA All-Star has led the league in rebounding in three out of the last four seasons including the last two. He is the only player in NBA history to record at least 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 steals in four straight seasons. The 6-11 Drummond has long arms and is a terrific leaper. He averaged 15.6 rebounds per game last season.
Joel Embiid is the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting center and franchise player. Known as “The Process”, Embiid was the Sixers’ 3rd overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. After missing the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Embiid played only 31 games in 2017. He became an All-Star in his first full NBA season and has averaged at least 11 rebounds per game in each of the last two seasons. Embiid was 2nd in the league in blocks last season and he was 7th in the year before that.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the NBA’s 2019 Most Valuable Player. The Greek Freak led the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA last season. Antetokounmpo is a freak of nature and an all-around monster. In 2017, he became the first player in NBA history to place in the Top 20 in five major statistical categories. Giannis’ rebounding numbers, as well as his other stats, have steadily increased in each of his first six NBA seasons. He averaged 12.5 rebounds per game last season and if he continues his progress, he could be the next rebounding king in the league.
Rudy Gobert is the back to back NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner. The Utah Jazz’s starting center is one of the league’s most imposing presence. He stands 7-1 but has an incredible wingspan of 7-9 which makes him not only one of the NBA’s premier shot-blockers but also its top rebounders. Gobert led the NBA in blocks during the 2017 season. He has a career average of 10.9 rebounds per game and was 4th in the league last season at 12.9 boards hauled per contest.
Hassan Whiteside was the NBA’s rebounding leader during the 2017 NBA season and the league’s shot blocks leader in 2016. Whiteside is one of the most intimidating forces inside the pain. After playing for the Miami Heat, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers last summer. Considering he played just 23.3 minutes for the Heat last season, he could’ve easily grabbed 13 rebounds per game last season considering he averaged 14.1 RPG when he led the league in that department two years earlier.
Who Wins?
Andre Drummond has gone six years averaging at least 13.2 rebounds per game. He’s averaged at least 14 rebounds per game in three of those seasons including more than 15 rebounds per game in the last two years. He’s the NBA leader in rebounding in three out of the last four seasons including the last two. But not only has Drummond been a very productive rebounder, but he is also one of the healthiest big men in the league. He’s missed just a total of 10 games in the last six seasons. In other words, to beat him, his competitors need to stay healthy.
Four of his main competitors-Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside, and Anthony Davis have missed a significant number of games in either of the last two seasons due to injury. As for Giannis Antetokounmpo, I think he has terrific rebounding skills and incredible leaping ability but he isn’t a “specialist” like Drummond who likes to patrol the shaded lane only. The Greek Freak is a do-it-all guy who I think will be busier this year trying to win an NBA title for the Bucks than anything else.
Unless Andre Drummond gets hurt this season, I don’t see anyone outrebounding him this season. I’m picking Andre Drummond to win the NBA’s rebounding title this coming season.
Prediction: Andre Drummond
