Air Alamo Roundtable: End-of-Season Awards for the San Antonio Spurs

Defensive Player of the Year: Zach Collins

After Jakob Poeltl got traded we got to see Collins step into an expanded role and he took it in stride. If Charles Bassey had been able to stay healthy he might have been able to steal this one but Collins continued presence on the back line proved he can be a valuable role player or starter for the Spurs going forward. His willingness to operate as the Spurs enforcer is an additional point in his favor. - Ethan Farina

This award should be between Jeremy Sochan and Zach Collins, but the way Collins has stepped up in Jakob Poeltl’s absence has been very compelling. He’s only been improving as he’s been shaking off the rust from his time spent injured, and it’s easy to forget that he was a former lottery pick. Give him a bit more time and I’ll think he’ll begin to show why, but his rim protection has been coming along very quickly, to the point that he looks like a bonafide NBA starting center. - Roberto Araiza

Zach Collins has been the anchor of the defense the whole year. On a defense that needs much improvement, Collins played better than most and is the highest-ranked Spurs player in defensive wins shares. (min 50 games) - Jahlil Williams

Final Voting

Zach Collins - 50%
Jeremy Sochan - 30%
Tre Jones - 10%
Keita Bates-Diop - 10%