Winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award would be a monumental accomplishment for Patrick Beverley, and one he certainly feels he deserves.

"That is one of my biggest goals," the Houston Rockets guard told Sean Deveney of Sporting News. "I feel like I am the best defensive player in the league right now."

The honor hasn't gone to a guard - let alone a point guard - since Gary Payton won it in 1996.

Despite missing the Rockets' first 11 games of the season, Beverley has been a major piece of the puzzle that has them sitting pretty in fourth place in the Western Conference. With Beverley and James Harden manning the backcourt, Houston has gone 13-2 since the five-year veteran returned from a knee injury.

"I hope the whole world sees it," Beverley continued. "If we win games, more and more people see it."

Harden's triple-double prowess and the roster's plentiful downtown bombers have put the world on notice, and Beverley is at the heart of it all. Whether he's getting tangled up with DeMarcus Cousins or annoying Russell Westbrook, the comparisons to "The Glove" are unavoidable.

"I have the same type of killer mindset that he had, the lateral quickness and quick hands. The swagger also," Beverley said of Payton. "That's one of my goals, my biggest goal. If I can get a goal like that, I will put my team in a position to win a lot of games."