UCLA’s Jaylen Clark secures 2023 Defensive Player of the Year award, presented by Nextiva
UCLA’s Jaylen Clark won the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year award, presented by Nextiva. Clark, who is among 10 national semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy Defensive Player of the Year, is the third UCLA player to receive the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award, joining Russell Westbrook (2008) and Nigel Miguel (1985). He currently leads the Pac-12 and ranks fifth nationally with 2.6 steals per game, which would be the league's highest average since 2019 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Matisse Thybulle's national-leading 3.5. According to College Basketball Reference, Clark currently leads NCAA Division I in Defensive Win Shares (2.8) and Defensive Box Plus/Minus (6.7) and is fourth in Defensive Rating (85.0) - the only player in the country in the top 5 in all three categories.
