Utah Jazz's Jaren Jackson Jr. cracks top 10 in DPOY odds
Utah Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. is tied for ninth in FanDuel Sportsbook's 2026-27 Defensive Player of the Year odds at +7500, putting the former Memphis Grizzlies star and 2022-23 DPOY among the league's top-10 longshots after a major trade investment that aims to fix Utah's long-struggling defense.
The Future Tech & AI Wonders desk is watching how big roster bets reshape award markets. Per Sports Illustrated, Utah still lacks a full look at Jackson Jr. after he played only three games last season before knee surgery.
Key Takeaways
- Jackson Jr. ties for ninth in FanDuel's 2026-27 DPOY odds at +7500.
- Victor Wembanyama dominates the board at -340 for a second straight award.
- The Utah Jazz ranked bottom two in defensive rating since the 2022-23 season.
- Jackson Jr. won DPOY in 2022-23 at 3.0 blocks per game as a two-time All-Star.
- A realistic path needs health, a top-tier Utah defense, and a clearance past Wembanyama.
Where do Utah Jazz DPOY odds stand right now?
FanDuel lists Jackson Jr. among the league's top 10, tied for the ninth-best chance at +7500. That still marks him as a longshot: eight names sit at +5000 or better, and only two players are +1000 or shorter.
San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama leads at a steep -340 to repeat as Defensive Player of the Year before the 2026-27 tip-off. For anyone outside Wembanyama, including Jackson Jr., the market is effectively pricing a narrow path.
What would it take for Jackson Jr. to win again?
Yahoo Sports notes Jackson Jr. already knows the blueprint. In 2022-23 he averaged 3.0 blocks while anchoring a top defense and claimed his first DPOY. He has not averaged more than two blocks per game since that award year.
Utah CEO Danny Ainge acquired him as a premier defensive anchor, not just another big. To contend again, he must look like that Memphis peak, stay healthy enough to clear the NBA's 65-game awards threshold, and post impact numbers SI framed around roughly three blocks and more than a steal a night.
Even then, Wembanyama remains the main barrier. SI and Yahoo both argue the clearest opening may come if the Spurs star falls short of the 65-game minimum—an outcome nobody is hoping for, but one that would reopen the race.
Can the Utah Jazz defense climb fast enough?
Voters rarely crown DPOY winners who sit on weak team defenses. The Utah Jazz have ranked in the bottom two in defensive rating since 2022-23 and finished last in two of those seasons.
SI's case for Jackson Jr. assumes Utah rises into the top 10 defensively while Ace Bailey, Keyonte George, Cody Williams, and Darryn Peterson take defensive steps beside him. Yahoo frames the same test: if Utah finishes among the league's best defenses, his résumé hardens quickly.
Bottom line for the Utah Jazz: cracking the top 10 in DPOY odds is already a signal that the Jackson Jr. trade moved the defensive conversation. Beating Wembanyama still looks unlikely, but another elite year plus a dramatic Utah leap would make another trophy plausible.