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Tim Duncan blocking Russell WestbrookRonald Martinez/Associated Press
Positional value is constantly changing in the NBA, but the importance of an elite defender has never been in question.
When a transcendent talent appears, an organization is able to build an entire philosophy around that player. They might be a devastating shot-blocker, lockdown perimeter defender or an eminently switchable asset who is perfect for the modern game.
Over the past two decades, more than 2,000 players have passed through the NBA. And we’re recognizing the absolute best defenders of that massive group.
The list considers the 2000-01 season through 2020-21. So, while Gary Payton played in the NBA after 2000, the majority of his elite defensive performance came in the previous decade. Same for Michael Jordan and Dikembe Mutombo, for example.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo (L)Matt Slocum/Associated Press
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-Defensive selection
Bruce Bowen: Eight-time All-Defensive selection
Kobe Bryant: 11-time All-Defensive selection (2000-01 and later)
Anthony Davis: Four-time All-Defensive selection and three-time NBA blocks leader
Jason Kidd: Seven-time All-Defensive selection (2000-01 and later) and second in career steals (2,684)
Andrei Kirilenko: Three-time All-Defensive selection and one-time NBA blocks leader
Shawn Marion: 61.3 Defensive Win Shares in career
Metta Sandiford-Artest: 2003-04 Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-Defensive selection
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Chris Nicoll/Associated Press
Once he overcame the Defensive Player of the Year barrier, Rudy Gobert has been racking up the awards.
Gobert secured his first trophy in 2017-18 and repeated in 2018-19, swatting 2.3 shots per game in both seasons. After earning his first All-Star appearance in 2019-20, Gobert averaged a career-best 2.7 blocks and landed his third DPOY in 2020-21.
In just eight seasons, Gobert is a five-time first-team All-Defensive selection. Since the “Stifle Tower” entered the league, nobody has blocked more shots than his 1,220.
Gobert holds the final spot on this ranking ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
Draymond Green has both inspired and enraged fans for his aggressive and physical play. Love him or hate him, though, there is no questioning his defensive peak.
Capable of guarding all five positions, Green built a reputation as the ideal modern defender. His versatility—a major factor in the Golden State Warriors winning three titles—had a major influence on how defensive lineups are built today.
Through the 2020-21 season, he’s garnered six All-Defensive honors. Green has landed first-team recognition four times, including in 2015-16 when he earned NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Among players with at least 5,000 minutes since 2000, Green is No. 1 in Defensive Box Plus/Minus—which, in short, is an estimate of defensive value relative to a league-average player.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
Kawhi Leonard has seen a decrease in his responsibilities as a team’s top defender as he’s developed into an offensive force.
But that’s how “The Claw” became a prominent player.
During the 2013 NBA Finals, LeBron James was visually disappointed when Leonard—then a second-year player for the San Antonio Spurs—returned from the bench to guard him. Leonard’s mix of vision, anticipation, long arms and huge hands allowed him to quickly become a perimeter stopper.
Leonard won Defensive Player of the Year in both 2014-15 and 2015-16. Heading into the 2021-22 season, he’s secured an All-Defensive honor in seven of the past eight seasons, too.
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Aaron Gash/Associated Press
Chris Paul has a strong claim to being the most irritating player in basketball over the past decade. To some degree, it was a product of his near-endless complaining. Mostly, though, Paul constantly put himself in position to blow up a play.
As a result, the veteran guard has amassed 2,332 steals—the fifth-most in NBA history—during his 16 years.
Paul, who’s paced the NBA in steals per game six times, is a nine-time All-Defensive selection. If CP3 wasn’t the best perimeter defender in the early/mid 2010’s, he certainly was close.
Antetokounmpo, Gobert, Green and Leonard all have an opportunity to pass Paul, whose longevity offers a boost. But to merely be a top-10 defender in a two-decade window is no slight.
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Gabriel Bouyes/Associated Press
Not only was Dwight Howard a shot-blocking machine in his prime, “Superman” dominated the glass, too.
Howard debuted in 2004-05 and averaged a double-double in each of his first 14 seasons. Howard led the NBA in rebounds per game five times, and he’s collected 12-plus rebounds per game 11 times—four more than anyone else since 2000-01.
The two-time block champion has turned aside the 15th-most shots (2,192) in NBA history. That game-changing ability led Howard to three straight Defensive Player of the Year honors from 2009-11, as well as five total All-Defensive Team nods.
Over the past two decades, Howard (74.8) trails only Spurs legend Tim Duncan (88.1) in Defensive Win Shares.
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WILFREDO LEE/Associated Press
Ben Wallace became a premier defensive force upon joining the Detroit Pistons in 2000-2001.
“Big Ben” averaged 12.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.6 steals per game over a six-year tenure on the Pistons, winning Defensive Player of the Year in four seasons. Dikembe Mutombo is the only other player in NBA history with four DPOY awards.
Wallace landed All-Defensive recognition in five seasons with Detroit, adding a sixth in 2006-07 on the Chicago Bulls.
Wallace blocked 2,137 shots in his career, which ranks 16th in NBA history. Most impressively, he’s tied with Duncan for the best defensive rating (96) among players with at least 300 appearances (approximately four seasons) since 2000.
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Winslow Townson/Associated Press
Basketball players like Kevin Garnett are an extreme rarity.
The 6’11” forward showcased a special blend of intelligence, athleticism, versatility and relentlessness on both ends of the floor. Garnett excelled as a post defender, but he was comfortable jumping out to guard the perimeter well before it was popular.
Even excluding his five pre-2000 seasons, Garnett put together a spectacular career. He registered 11 of his 12 All-Defensive honors after the turn of the millennium and lifted the Defensive Player of the Year trophy in the 2007-08 campaign.
Since 2000, he owns top-10 marks in defensive rating, Defensive Box Plus/Minus and Defensive Win Shares. He’s also 19th in career steals (1,859) and 20th in blocks (2,037).
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Eric Gay/Associated Press
Purely from an athleticism standpoint, Tim Duncan never looked like an overwhelming player. But the Spurs legend probably had the biggest brain in the entire NBA.
In short, his positioning was impeccable. The ability to think multiple passes ahead facilitated Duncan’s rise as an elite rim protector. From the 2000-01 season through 2015-16, he blocked 2,523 shots and altered many thousands more.
Oddly enough, Duncan never won Defensive Player of the Year. However, the three-time NBA Finals MVP made 15 All-Defensive teams—including 12 in our range and, as a testament to his intellect, two as a 37-plus-year-old with considerable physical limitations.
Duncan leads all post-2000 players with 88.1 Defensive Win Shares and is sixth all-time with 3,020 career blocks.
All stats from Basketball Reference.
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