Lou Williams tossed out a bold idea about Jaylen Brown, but fans weren’t ready to run with it.
"If Wemby didn't exist, we would probably be having a different conversation around Jaylen Brown's name on the defensive end... he might be Defensive Player of the Year this season. Why not?"
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 27, 2026
- Lou Williams
(via @RunItBackFDTV) pic.twitter.com/hAVWYe1SQC
Brown has opened his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers looking like a player determined to do a little bit of everything. In the process, he has helped push the 76ers to a 3-1 start while putting up 20.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Just as notable, he has been taking the tougher defensive assignment and going after the opposing team’s top scorer.
That was enough for Williams to make a big claim on “Run It Back,” saying Brown is the league’s best two-way player right now because of how “dynamic” he has been on defense.
“If Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) didn't exist, we would probably be having a different conversation around Jaylen Brown's name on the defensive end,” said Williams on “Run It Back.”
“I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he might be Defensive Player of the Year this season. Why not?”
The response online came fast, and it was mostly skeptical. Fans pushed back on the idea that Brown belongs in that conversation, with several pointing to their own view of his defensive track record.
“Bro's really not that crazy on defense. I've seen him play for like 10 years,” said @Ames94733860.
“Are we watching the same job or what?” asked @Travisleads.
“He's dumb. Jaylen Brown wasn't even a top-10 DPOY candidate last year. So regardless of Wemby, he's never gonna make an All-Defensive Team,” added @0fficialDecarri.
“Get TF outta here, bruh. This s*** was never said when he was in Boston,” wrote @Biggchuck___.
“Dang, Jaylen got a good PR team,” joked @FakeMAGAcover, referencing Brown's recent quip about Jayson Tatum.
Williams’ take also came with its own built-in caveat, since Victor Wembanyama remains the player most expected to dominate Defensive Player of the Year races going forward. And if Brown is going to force his way into that kind of discussion, he’ll have to do it in a landscape where guards rarely get that kind of recognition.
In the last three decades, Marcus Smart has been the only guard to win Defensive Player of the Year, taking the award in 2022.
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The path to the role has opened up because of injuries to other big men on the roster and the departure of Andre Drummond, leaving the job there for the taking. Bona was already viewed as the player the coaching staff wanted in that spot, and his defensive activity and work on the glass are starting to make him look less like a fallback option and more like the most natural fit to back up Embiid. [Read more 🡒]