Hawks Have 2 Players Ranked Among NBA's Best Defenders

The Atlanta Hawks had one of the NBA's best defenses after the 2025-26 All-Star break. According to Bleacher Report, they should be able to build on that success this year.

Bleacher Report named two Hawks among the top 30 defenders in the NBA heading into 2026-27.

Specifically, Luguentz Dort ranked 26th and Dyson Daniels 14th. Only the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, and Oklahoma City Thunder also had multiple players on the list.

Granted, the Thunder feature a half-dozen. The Hawks aren't the best-represented team on the list, but having two players in the top 30 still bodes well for them.

Are they appropriately rated?

Firstly, it should be said that, compared to offense, defense is difficult to quantify. You can't always definitively say who's the better defender between two players.

Dort landed 26th on this list. Bam Adebayo was directly ahead of him at 25th. Personally, I'd have Adebayo about 10 spots higher, but it depends on whether you value pure rim protection or switchability more.

Expanding on that point, Boston Celtics big man Mitchell Robinson ranked 23rd. He's an outstanding rim protector, but I would have Dort ahead of him. Yet, it's not an open-and-shut case either.

You could have the same debates about the players in Daniels' range. Jaden McDaniels lands 17th, and a lot of fans would have him ahead of Daniels. Giannis Antetokounmpo ranked 10th, but some would argue that he's been an overrated defender for a few seasons now.

Does it matter as far as the Hawks are concerned?

Let's talk about another Hawk who wasn't featured on this list: Onyeka Okongwu.

He could have easily made the cut. Okongwu is able to switch across positions as well as almost any big man in the league.

This further illustrates the point: It's impossible to make a definitive list of the league's top defenders.

So no, this shouldn't matter to the Hawks.

What should matter is that their 108.6 defensive rating after last year's All-Star break was second in the entire league. It doesn't matter who contributes to replicating that success, as long as it's replicated.

Still, it's nice to see two Hawks ranked. Dort and Daniels are both excellent defenders, and that should help Atlanta establish a firm defensive identity in 2026-27.

Just like it started doing last season.