Discover which elite defenders are on track for prestigious All-Defensive First Team honors, showcasing the league's top defensive talent.
The Thunder’s defense is surrendering 106.1 points per 100 possessions this season, which comfortably makes it the best unit across the association. Distributing credit is a difficult task because Oklahoma City has so many elite defenders, but it must be done for the sake of creating the All-Defensive teams.
It’s positionless, so voters are not required to select two guards, two forwards and a center. Players must also play at least 65 games and log at least 20 minutes in 63 games to qualify for All-Defensive honors.
Which five players currently deserve to make the All-Defensive First Team? As a side note, stats below (such as D-EPM) have filtered out players with less than 750 minutes recorded.
Victor Wembanyama
- D-EPM rank: 3rd
- D-LEBRON rank: 1st
- Team defense when on the court: 106.4 points per 100 possessions
- Team defense when off the court: 116.3 points per 100 possessions
Wembanyama gets the first spot and would win Defensive Player of the Year if the season ended today. He’s the most impactful defender across the NBA due to his eight-foot wingspan and superb mobility. Opponents avoid challenging him inside the paint as much as possible just like quarterbacks did not bother throwing to Darrelle Revis’ man in 2009. When a player does test him, Wembanyama is recording a block on a league-leading 33.7% of his rim contests according to Basketball Index.
Chet Holmgren
- D-EPM rank: 5th
- D-LEBRON rank: 3rd
- Team defense when on the court: 104.2 points per 100 possessions
- Team defense when off the court: 110.9 points per 100 possessions
Chet Holmgren is next. He leads the league in rim points saved per 75 possessions, and his ability to seamlessly oscillate between power forward and center also gives the Thunder’s defense an immense amount of flexibility. Whether it’s sagging off the corners as a help defender or anchoring lineups as the lone big, Holmgren remains extremely dominant no matter his role.
Rudy Gobert
- D-EPM rank: 7th
- D-LEBRON rank: 4th
- Team defense when on the court: 108.8 points per 100 possessions
- Team defense when off the court: 121.5 points per 100 possessions
Rudy Gobert receives the next invitation. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner still dominates on this end. His rim-protection metrics are elite, and Minnesota’s defense utterly collapses when Gobert rests.
Ausar Thompson
- D-EPM rank: 1st
- D-LEBRON rank: 5th
- Team defense when on the court: 110.1 points per 100 possessions
- Team defense when off the court: 107.5 points per 100 possessions
Thompson leads the NBA in Defensive Playmaking, which is a metric by Basketball Index that “measures a player’s ability to disrupt offenses through steals, deflections, blocks and charges drawn per 75 possessions.” He creates chaos due to his unique blend of length, athleticism and quickness. Thompson’s ability to shut down the opponent’s best scorer is a huge reason behind why the Pistons rank second in defensive rating. Detroit’s superb bench defense helps explain his negative on-off swing – it has nothing to do with Thompson in the slightest.
Cason Wallace
- D-EPM rank: 4th
- D-LEBRON rank: 6th
- Team defense when on the court: 105.6 points per 100 possessions
- Team defense when off the court: 109 points per 100 possessions
Wallace ranks third in Defensive Playmaking and is also able to take the opponent’s best scorer out of the game. He does not possess Thompson’s length or athleticism, but Wallace probably has the best defensive instincts among all perimeter defenders. He’s a nightmare for opponents.
Honorable Mentions: Scottie Barnes, Amen Thompson, Bam Adebayo, Derrick White and Neemias Queta all deserve their flowers.