Defensive Player of the Year is usually won by a big, but we wanted to take a more wide-ranging view when ranking the best defenders in the NBA in 2025/26. Seven-footers provide value as shot blockers, yet in this three-point driven era, those that can harass ball handlers are every bit as valuable.
Being a great defender isn’t just about steals and blocks. It’s about being able to make opponents work hard for their points, it’s about hustle, and it’s working in a team defensive scheme, rather than gambling to enhance personal stats.
1. Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama will be DPOY favorite for as long as he’s healthy. Holding a comprehensive lead in stocks before he was sidelined with deep vein thrombosis, Wemby was carrying a limited Spurs team to a top-10 defense in his minutes.
San Antonio was one of the worst defenses in the NBA when Wembanyama was off the floor. Teams take markedly fewer shots at the rim with Wemby on the floor, and he’s sufficiently fleet of foot to keep perimeter players in front of him.
2. Chet Holmgren
Injuries have seen Chet Holmgren play fewer minutes than the Thunder would have hoped for when he was drafted in 2022, but he’s still one of the best centers in the NBA and a great defensive player.
A lack of upper-body strength is the only meaningful criticism of Holmgren’s game. He can get bullied by some of the bruising fives around the league, but OKC luckily has Isaiah Hartenstein to help with those matchups.
3. Evan Mobley
Winner of the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year, Evan Mobley doesn’t post as gaudy stats as Wembanyama or Holmgren. His game isn’t as flashy on the defensive end, yet Mobley might have the most diverse skillset of them all.
With great size and deceptive lateral quickness, Mobley has taken assignments against wings and can hold his own against the league’s shiftiest guards. In the paint, he uses his length to disrupt shots on a regular basis.
4. Luguentz Dort
Like Mobley, Luguentz Dort’s defensive value isn’t purely in his deflections, steals, or blocks. Dort draws charges, hustles for loose balls, and harasses ball handlers over every inch of the hardwood.
He’s a nuisance for opponents. Bulky and with a low center of gravity, bigger players struggle to move him off a spot. Smaller guards have a long way to go to get around him, and he’s got quick enough hands to force pickups and poke the ball free.
5. Dyson Daniels
The leader in stocks last season, Dyson Daniels had 171 deflections more than any other player. He was briefly the DPOY favorite, despite the Hawks possessing a mediocre defense.
There’s no question he’s disruptive. Daniels’ length closes passing lanes and creates transition opportunities for his team. Atlanta was only a middling defense in his minutes, though, which kept him out of the top three in these rankings.
6. Draymond Green
Golden State remains among the most watchable NBA teams, part of which can be attributed to the all-time great defense of Draymond Green. He might be 35 years old, but Green remains incredibly influential on the defensive end as an organizer, rebounder, and help defender.
As has been the case for a decade, the Dubs’ defense falls apart when Green is on the bench. He’s lost a bit of quickness, but he more than compensates for that in knowhow.
7. Amen Thompson
Both of the Thompson twins will feature on this list in 12 months’ time. Amen has had the bigger impact so far and was rightly awarded a First Team All-Defense berth.
Houston’s defense, even with a deep, physical roster, was two points better per 100 possessions with Thompson on the floor. He’s a twitchy, freakish athlete, with the defensive instincts that are so rarely seen in young players.
8. Derrick White
In a great Celtics defense, Derrick White has been the most important cog in the machine. His physique isn’t as cinderblock-esque as Jrue Holiday, nor is he as bouncy as Jaylen Brown, but White can guard any perimeter player and has the length to hold his own against some of the league’s better wings.
This year will be a much greater test for White’s defensive acumen. Boston has several weak spots on that end of the floor and it will be interesting to see how White will cope in the absence of Holiday, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford.
9. Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo’s run of five consecutive All-Defense selections ended last season. That’s no knock-on Adebayo as a defender, rather an acknowledgement of the additional offensive workload he’s had to take on.
There might not be a more switchable five in the entire league. Adebayo, in that trademark low defensive stance, can disrupt Trae Young’s dribble penetration, battle with Joel Embiid on the block, and go head-to-head with a driving Giannis Antetokounmpo.
10. Jalen Suggs
Jalen Suggs’ defense was good enough to sneak him into the best point guards in the NBA list. Fresh off averaging 2.4 stocks per game, Suggs could be the best perimeter defender in the league this season.
It’s easy to forget he stands at 6’5. Stronger than he looks, he can bump with bigger wings, and he’s sharp enough over short distances to stay in front of smaller guards like Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell.
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