NBA top 100 defenders rankings (1-10): Who is No. 2 after Victor Wembanyama in the top 10 for 2026-27?

NBA top 100 defenders rankings (1-10): Who is No. 2 after Victor Wembanyama in the top 10 for 2026-27? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The league is full of brilliant defenders that never truly get their due. I've ranked them up to 100 every year in order to bring more attention to the defensive side of the ball. In Part 1 of this series, I covered some of the more underrated players that ranked from No. 11 to 100. In Part 2, we're getting to the well-established names in the top 10. 

All of the players in the top 10 have the ability to swing games due to their defensive ability. Watch them closely inside of the last two minutes and you will see something special, as they take away huge portions of the floor or find ways to create game-changing turnovers. 

Spoiler alert: Victor Wembanyama is at No. 1 on this list and will probably hold that top spot for the next decade. The battle for No. 2 is a much more interesting question, and I have two players who have skyrocketed from last year's list that were in top consideration for that spot. 

Here's who I have at No. 2, along with the stalwarts that make up the rest of the top 10. 

Top 100 defenders of 2023-24 | Top 100 defenders of 2024-25 | Top 100 defenders of 2025-26

The best defenders in the NBA: 1-10

Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

1. Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Wembanyama won his first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year award last season, and he should win a flurry more over the coming years. He's the most game-changing defender of his generation, and he's only getting better as a 22-year-old. 

Wembanyama's eight-foot wingspan allows him to do things that nobody else can. He's a blocks machine, leading the league during every season of his career thus far. He should retire as the best shot-blocker of all time. He also uses those long arms to swipe for crazy steals and pick off passes.

Wemby has become synonymous with players U-turning any time they see him lurking in the paint. "You literally don't even want to go to the hole when he's on the floor," LeBron James said recently on his Mind the Game podcast.

Wemby is also a capable defender on the perimeter, although the one minor area of improvement for him is to stop being so jumpy out there. He's willing to run step-for-step with Steph Curry as he wiggles through screens, and his length allows him to recover when he does get temporarily beat. 

Wemby's impact shows up all across the numbers. He's No. 1 in blocks per game. He's No. 1 in defensive estimated plus-minus. The Spurs defend a massive 8.7 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor versus off. And he inherited a team that was last in the league in defense and brought them up to No. 3 last year. 

Any list of the best defenders has to have Wemby at No. 1. The runner-up position is where things start to get interesting. 

MORE: Why Victor Wembanyama earns Sporting News' Defensive Player of the Year award

2. Scottie Barnes, Raptors

Barnes doesn't back down from any matchup, whether it's Wemby or Donovan Mitchell. He's by many accounts the most versatile defender in the league, able to stay in front of guards and bang down low with bigger players. 

Barnes is a turnover-generating machine. His 114 steals and 116 blocks made him the only player in the league to finish with over 100 in both categories, and his 230 combined "stocks" (steals + blocks) was behind only Wemby. Those weren't empty calories either. Barnes led the league with nine clutch blocks. 

Barnes' impact goes well beyond blocks and steals. He plays with force, gunking up what opponents are trying to do. He does his work early, refusing to cede positioning and blocking lanes to throw entry passes. He's a monster help defender, ripping the ball away whenever it's near him and switching teammates out of bad matchups. He's a great rim protector, covering a ton of ground. And when his matchup does get the ball, he makes it hell to score on him one-on-one. The Raptors are going to be an elite defense this season, and Barnes will be their anchor.

RANKING ALL 150 NBA STARTERS: 11-150 | Top 10

3. Ausar Thompson, Pistons

The Thompson twins are widely regarded as among the most athletic players in the league. Ausar uses those gifts to absolutely hound opponents, taking away their breathing room as soon as they step off the bus. 

While his athleticism generates the headlines, it's actually everything else about his defense that makes him elite. As pointed out by defensive guru Mike Jagacki, Thompson is a great fundamental defender, using both hands to contest shots. He uses his physicality to jam up ballhandlers, controlling the positioning battle. He knows how to time the ball on gathers, ripping it away for steals. And when he does get beat, he has the crazy hops to recover and block shots. 

Thompson's defensive skill can completely swing a playoff series. Just ask Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson, who had to gameplan around him during last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals. 

"The tactical adjustment we made was avoiding Thompson," Atkinson admitted after his team won in seven games. "If he's near the ball, throw it to someone else." 

Thompson's numbers scream off the page in the advanced statistics as well. He was the No. 2 defender in Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM), along with standing out in multiple categories on BBall Index. 

Ausar Thompson's perimeter defense numbers are ridiculous https://t.co/ZmrIR4K28V

— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) December 31, 2025

Thompson and Barnes are in a tier of their own in the race for the No. 2 defender in the league. Either would be a worthy choice. 

4. Alex Caruso, Thunder

Caruso's fearless style doesn't allow him to play enough minutes to rank higher on this list. He is constantly throwing his body around the floor with reckless abandon, and the Thunder have to save him from himself so that they have him available for the biggest playoff games. 

When the postseason hits and they take the reins off, Caruso is one of the most disruptive players in the tracking era. In a 29-year sample of defensive RAPM, former NBA analytics staffer Jeremias Engelmann found that only Kevin Garnett, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, and Tim Duncan ranked higher than the 6-foot-5 guard. 

That lack of size hasn't stopped Caruso from bothering big men like Nikola Jokic, who he famously matched up against during Game 7 of the 2025 Western Conference playoffs. And he shuts down guards routinely.

Caruso is more physical than anyone, oftentimes annoying opponents and fans who aren't comfortable with his line-balancing routine. That's part of his strategy. 

"If I finish a game with no fouls, I probably didn’t play hard enough," Caruso admitted back in 2021 during his Bulls days.

Caruso is far from just a bruiser. He takes the brunt of damage from opponents, sacrificing his body for charges, diving on the floor for loose balls, and throwing himself into moving screen-setters to force whistles. He has textbook technique for how to stay attached to opponents, making him nearly impossible to screen. 

Caruso is a leader, too. He's the most vocal guy on the floor, screaming out coverages and directing teammates where to go. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of playbooks across the league, which allows him to know what teams are running and where the ball is going. His combination of effort, film study, technique, and fearlessness make him the greatest guard defender in the history of the game. 

MORE: Alex Caruso's wild journey, from 'a nice little camp player' to NBA superstar stopper

5. Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves

Gobert finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season, which seems about right. He's won the award four times in the past, but Wemby was correct with what he said back in 2024. 

"[Let Gobert win] it now, because after that, it's no longer his turn." 

While Gobert is oftentimes criticized for his inability to guard on the perimeter, his isolation numbers are actually excellent. He guarded Nikola Jokic well, helping the Wolves defeat the Nuggets in six games during the first round of the 2026 playoffs. During the regular season, he ranked in the 74th percentile in isolation defense, holding opponents to a 41.9 effective field goal percentage. 

Gobert is a top 10 defense unto himself. He hasn't been part of a team outside of that range since 2020, and he hasn't been on a below-average defense since his rookie year. He allows teammates to play more aggressively, cleaning up mistakes all over the floor. And he closes out possessions at a high level, remaining elite at defensive rebounding.   

MORE: Ranking the NBA's best power forwards

Imagn Images

6. Bam Adebayo, Heat

Because he doesn't get a lot of blocks, casuals will always underrate Adebayo's impact on defense. He does everything else that you'd want as a defender though. He's a great rebounder despite being listed at only 6-foot-9. That size gives him the versatility to be able to cover all sorts of different matchups and play different schemes. 

Adebayo is a capable switch big who is adept at staying in front of guards. He can also play in drop coverages, taking away the rim. He can hedge or blitz. He's been the key to the Heat's 2-3 zone, quarterbacking it from the middle. 

Adebayo has carried the Heat's defense for years. He's been a six-time All-Defensive Team selection, including last season. While he's never finished better than fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, he's received votes in each of the past seven seasons. He's easily a top 10 defender in the league, and his gifts will be even more magnified this season while playing next to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

7. Chet Holmgren, Thunder

Our lasting collective memory of Holmgren is seeing him fall apart in the playoffs against the Spurs. Putting aside that one matchup, he has been an incredible defender that has anchored an all-time defense over the past two seasons. He finished behind only Wemby in DPOY voting last season.

Holmgren is the second-best rim protector in the league, thanks to a stellar 7-foot-1 height and 7-foot-6 wingspan. He finished second in the league with 1.9 blocks per game last season, behind Wemby's 3.1. Opponents shot 15.5 percent worse at the rim against him, putting him in the 99th percentile and ahead of even Wemby in that statistic. 

Holmgren is also a decent rebounder despite his lean frame. His 7.0 defensive rebounds per game ranked 10th in the league. 

Holmgren can still get bullied by the biggest players in the league, but he knows how to make the most out of his tools. He has terrific awareness and positioning, moves well for his size, communicates on the floor, and find ways to stay in plays. 

8. Evan Mobley, Cavaliers

Mobley has tremendous physical tools, standing at 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and the fluidity of a guard. He already has one Defensive Player of the Year award under his belt, from 2025, and he has another third-place finish. He's the modern ideal of a defensive big man, capable of blocking shots and moving well on the perimeter. 

Mobley's rim protection is among the best in the league. His 1.7 blocks per game placed him fourth in the NBA last season. Opponents shot 10.8 percent worse at the rim against him, placing him in the 97th percentile of all players. 

Mobley is able to alter so many shots because of his length and speed. Those gifts allow him to cover a ton of ground, coming in from the weak side to protect the rim. He has great instincts too, allowing him to be in the right place at the right time. 

9. Dyson Daniels, Hawks

Daniels didn't have quite the same impact as his 2025 season, where he won Sporting News' Defensive Player of the Year award thanks to his prodigious rate of steals and deflections. He did still tie for the lead in steals last year with Ausar Thompson, averaging 2.0 per game, and was third in the league with 316 deflections. 

Daniels has textbook technique for his steals. Rather than swiping overhand, he reaches under players' arms in order to surprise them and get called for fewer fouls. He has some of the quickest hands in the league, poking the ball out constantly, and he can play the passing lanes as well as anyone. When a player turns his back, Daniels is going to be coming for the steal. 

Daniels makes those big plays while also being able to contain the ball and keep players in front of him. Rather than recklessly gambling, he plays solid defense and picks his spots extremely well. He's one of the best guard defenders in the game. 

10. Draymond Green, Warriors

Green will go down as one of the smartest defenders in NBA history. At age 36, that uncanny knowledge of player tendencies, playcalls, and how to bait opponents into doing exactly what he wants isn't going away. Nobody has ever been better at stopping 2-on-1 fast breaks by playing the cat-and-mouse game like Green. And nobody can orchestrate teammates to be in the right spot like him. 

Green started the small ball revolution, playing center at just 6-foot-6. He's still a very versatile defender that is capable of guarding all sorts of assignments, ranging from Kawhi Leonard to Wemby. He remains a good rim protector and rebounder that takes on some of the toughest matchups every night. 

Age has slowed Green's movement, which is why he continues to slowly drop down this annual list. His intelligence still keeps him in the top 10 this year. 

The best defenders in the NBA: 1-100