Philadelphia 76ers Ben Simmons is adamant the Defensive Player of the Year award should be his Posted 2 AprApril 2021 at 4:54am Ben Simmons has locked in on his defence more than ever before during the 2020/21 season. ( Print text only Cancel Critics can say what they want about Australian Ben Simmons rarely taking jump shots, but no-one can deny his contention for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. Key points: Ben Simmons has been vocal about why he should win the NBA's Defensive Players of the Year award over Rudy Gobert The 24-year-old beats Gobert in steals per game and overall team defensive rating