2024-25 was loaded with great defensive players, so much so that this year’s teams rank among the best of my lifetime.
In an era where “no defense is played,” many great defenders graced NBA courts this year. That is why I did an All-Ineligible Defensive List (see bottom of the article). Too many guys didn’t play enough games or minutes to make the list. But, hey! Kris Dunn is too good not to make a list (see Second Team below).
First Team
Ivica Zubac (C, LAC): His case is simple: he is the anchor of the third-best defensive team in the NBA. The teams ahead, Thunder and Magic, either have an ineligible player, in Holmgren for the Thunder, or they don’t have a Zubac-level anchor, Magic. However, Zubac’s case is not entirely dependent on his team. He is in the 100th percentile of Regularized Adjusted Defensive Rebounding and has opponents shoot 9.2% worse vs their average at the rim when he is defending. So he is dominant, forcing misses and ensuring they don’t get the ball back. He is 8th in Crafted Defensive Plus Minus, 2nd in Defensive Win Shares, and 7th in Defensive Rating. So, whilst he isn’t the best in any of these stats besides total rebounds, leading this incredible Clippers defense gets my nod for DPOY.
Draymond Green (photo, The Spun)
Draymond Green (F/C, GSW): Green’s defense played a significant role in the Warriors’ mid-season resurgence and ensured everyone knew about it. Did that explain why he isn’t in first place for me? Kinda, but his team is number 1 since the All-Star Break, after they acquired Jimmy Butler. One thing that is heavy in his favor is the advanced stats, 1st in CraftedDPM, 2nd in DDARKO, 1st in DDRIP, but as for many further down this list, it is much harder to affect the game when you aren’t defending the rim every play.
Dyson Daniels (G, ATL): A sensation in the association this year, the Great Barrier Thief had the most steals by a player since Gary Payton (!!) in 1995-1996 (!!). But, his stats go even deeper, since the NBA started tracking deflections in 2016, he had the most in a single season. Robert Covington previously held the record with 315 in 2017-2018; Daniels had 443, more than 120 more than Covington. Based on data from CraftedNBA, he is doing this verse the 6th highest matchup difficulty, whilst also being first in Steal Pct, 7th in Defensive Box Plus Minus (4th among award-eligible players), and 10th in Estimated Defensive +/- (5th among award-eligible players).
Evan Mobley (F/C, CLE): When Wemby went down, the award seemed to be handed to Mobley, but when you look at the stats, whilst he has been amazing, I think this is where he should land. He has been phenomenal at the rim, having opponents shoot 8.9% worse than their average, which puts him in the 93rd percentile for that stat. He is also in the 93rd percentile for Block% and 95th for crafted Defensive Plus Minus. One of the other cases for him is that he is leading the 8th-best defense and helped elevate them to the #1 seed in the East.
Amen Thompson (G/F, HOU): Thompson is one of the best athletes in the sport’s history, and he has used that to elevate him to one of the best defenders in the league. One game that boosted his candidacy was the April 6 game versus the Warriors, where he held an All-NBA, first ballot HOFer, Steph Curry, to 1/10 from the field, 1/8 from 3, and 4 turnovers. Thompson was on him almost the entire game and completely shut him down. He is in the 92nd percentile of Regularized Adjusted Defensive Turnovers. He has opponents shoot 9.4% worse at the rim than their average, so he can dominate the perimeter. He has opponents shoot worse at the rim than Zubac, Green, and Mobley.
Second Team
Jaren Jackson Jr. (F/C, MEM): The reason isn’t on the first team is quite simple: too many fouls and not enough rebounds. He is 97th (!!) in RPG, behind the likes of Kyle Kuzma and Justin Champagnie, and he is in the 10th percentile for relative personal fouls. But, without that, he has been great. In the 99th percentile of Rim Defense, opponents shoot 13.5 percent worse than their average there, 94th percentile in Block Percent. And for his overall defense, he is in the 94th percentile of Crafted Defensive Plus Minus.
Lu Dort (G/F, OKC): Arguably the best defender on the best defensive team in the NBA, Dort takes on the toughest matchup every night, as he is second in Matchup Difficulty according to Crafted NBA, and holds opponents to only 41.9% shooting when he is the primary defender according to NBA.com. Overall, Dort has been there almost every night (71/82 games), takes on the most challenging matchup, and does a great job.
Rudy Gobert (photo, The Sporting News)
Rudy Gobert (C, MIN): The 4-time DPOY had yet another great year, but is starting to fall off slowly. And while some of his advanced metrics are down, they are still at the league’s top. He is in the 95th percentile of Defensive Rebounding Quality and in Rim Defense, where he has opponents shoot 10.1% worse in comparison to their average at the rim against him. He is in the 100th percentile for Crafted Defensive Plus Minus, 1st in DDARKO, and 3rd in DDRIP. So, Gobert, even at the age of 32, is still a great, top-tier defender.
Kris Dunn (G, LAC): While he did not achieve the minimum requirement to be eligible for this team, I still put him on here because I don’t have an actual vote (hopefully one day this will change), so I can do what I want. Also, Dunn has been phenomenal this year, and the advanced stats back it up. 97th percentile in deflections, 96th percentile in Regularized Adjusted Defensive Turnovers, 98th percentile of Crafted Defensive Plus Minus (2nd among guards, only behind Caruso), 4th in Defensive Plus Minus, 2nd among guards in DDARKO (Again behind Caruso, who lack of games+ minutes prevents him from this list, too small of sample size), 5th overall in DDRIP (First among Guards), 9th in DLEBRON (First among Guards), 4th in steals per game, first in Defensive Box Plus Minus (different from DPM), and second in EDPM. Along with the main perimeter guy on the 3rd-best defense in the NBA, Dunn’s minutes are the only thing holding him back from an easy All-Defensive selection.
Toumani Camara (F, POR): I thought nothing of it when he was a “throw-in” to the Damian Lillard trade. But, he has ensured that there are too many cameras in Portland, as he is part of the exciting, non-play-in Portland Trailblazers. Camara, who is in the 96th percentile of Regularized Adjusted Defensive Turnover and is one of the most versatile defenders in the league, is also in the 96th percentile of that stat. He also takes on the 7th hardest matchup difficulty, so he does this against tough matchups.
Just missed the cut: Jalen Williams (G/F, OKC), OG Anunoby (G/F, NYK), Andrew Nembhard (G, IND), Derrick White (G, BOS)
Injuries prevented them from being considered: Victor Wembanyama (probably still should have made it, F/C, SAS), Alex Caruso (G, OKC), Chet Holmgren (F/C, OKC), Jalen Suggs (G, ORL), Ausar Thompson (G/F, DET), Anthony Davis (F/C, LAL/DAL), Kawhi Leonard (F, LAC), Jimmy Butler (G/F, GSW)
