All year we’ve watched the best of the best play this wonderful game of basketball. The season has concluded and the OTG Staff is making their award selections. Defensive Player of the Year is full of many worthy candidates, making this one of the tougher races. Jeremy Freed - @JeremyFreed3 Defensive Player of the Year: Giannis Antetokounmpo Via Complex Defensive Player of the Year is as close a race as I think we have this year, but I like Giannis to take home the hardware.

Photo Courtesy: NBC Sports The Boston Celtics’ offseason was more or less a snoozer this year, especially after last year’s Gordon Hayward sweepstakes and flipping Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving, but they still managed to infuse a fair bit of drama into it. As July dragged on, the Celtics had yet to resign Marcus Smart, their hype man extraordinaire with an F-16 engine level of hustle crossed with the grit of a South Boston hardcore kid. Smart publicly let it known he was mif

Perhaps there is no more unique player in the NBA than Marcus Smart. In a league full of shooting, Smart can't shoot. Defensively he can guard all five positions and is one of the best and most versatile defenders in the NBA. His hustle and energy are contagious. He also has turnovers that make Celtics fans throw the remote. The Marcus Smart experience is full of ups and downs. Despite limitations, Smart has found ways to be productive on both ends of the floor. He certainly

D’Angelo Russell, Brooklyn Nets Two ingredients measure the formula for early development for a young NBAers: talent and opportunity. Russell’s talent has never been doubted. The third-year point guard has unlimited range, a lightning quick release, and connected on 35.1% of his 3s on 6.1 attempts per contest last year. Russell is crafty and shifty floor general, playing with a mature pace and control that you’d expect from a 10-year veteran. His physical profile is off the c