It’s awards season at Celtics.com! We’re handing out six awards over the next few weeks as we roll through this year’s Celtics.com Awards Series. We may not have trophies or acceptance speeches, but we do have some top-flight Celtics performances to outline. Here we go...

BOSTON – Only one player on Boston’s roster was selected to the NBA's All-Defensive team. Shocker: that same player, Al Horford, is our Defensive Player of the Year.

Horford’s defensive campaign was much more impressive by the eye test than it was from an analytical standpoint. He was the most versatile defender on the team despite finishing the season with Boston's seventh-best defensive rating.

Brad Stevens relied heavily upon Horford’s defensive versatility. The modern NBA is stacked with athletic offensive threats who stand 6-foot-10 or taller. Horford was Boston’s answer to all of them.

When Boston faced Golden State, Horford was its answer to Kevin Durant.

When Boston faced Milwaukee, Horford was its answer to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

When Boston faced Philadelphia, Horford was its answer to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

The list continues on with other offensive threats such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Karl-Anthony Towns, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Love, and many, many more.

Horford defended all of those players at a high level, but his defensive prowess didn’t end with matchups against the tallest offensive weapons in the league. It continued against guards and wings, too.

A key factor that allowed the Celtics to lead the NBA in defensive rating this season was their ability to switch on every screen on every possession, if so they chose. The key to that ability is the team’s big man.

While Aron Baynes did start 67 games for Boston and did lead the team in defensive rating, he only played 18.3 minutes per game. Horford, meanwhile, averaged 31.6 minutes per game and was more often than not the rock in the middle of the C’s defense.

Horford’s lateral agility, length and defensive instincts allowed him to switch onto perimeter players without putting Boston’s defense at a disadvantage. He stayed in front of guards more often than not, and by the slim chance that those guards drove past him, he recovered and typically challenged the ensuing shot at a high level.

Horford finished the season ranked in the league's 91st percentile by allowing only 0.799 points per possession, according to Synergy Sports. That number ranked eighth in the entire league among players who were involved in at least 400 defensive possessions (Horford was involved in 1,060 possessions).

This outstanding defensive play carried over to the postseason, during which Horford was arguably Boston’s most important player. He averaged 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game on offense, all while matching up with Antetokounmpo, Simmons, Embiid, Love, and, at times, even LeBron James during Boston’s postseason run to Game 7 of the Eastern Finals. Horford averaged 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per game during the postseason, while opponents shot just 37.6 percent against him.

Much like with his offensive game, Horford’s defensive impact cannot be based solely upon his numbers. He affects the game in so many ways that don’t show up in a box score, or, sometimes even within advanced analytics.

Voters took notice of that notion while casting their ballots for the NBA’s All-Defensive teams. They selected him to the All-Defensive Second Team, and for many of the same reasons, we are selecting him as our Defensive Player of the Year.