List Rules Only current NBA Defenders. No retired or collegiate players.
Who are the best defenders currently in the NBA? Certainly, this list includes some of the best defensive players playing right now, and potentially some of the top NBA players of all time. Check out these lists of best current shot blockers and best current scorers, along with the best (worst) NBA floppers playing today. Having a lockdown defender gives any NBA team a huge advantage.
The top defensive players who are currently playing in the NBA are certainly among the overall top current NBA players too (Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, Kawhi Leonard, and LeBron James come to mind immediately).
The highly skilled NBA players on this list can make or break a team's performance on the court. They are hustle players who lock down their man outside the perimeter and inside the paint. These DPOY candidates are experts at stealing the ball and drawing charges.
Vote for the current defensive players that you think are the most important, key players for their respective teams, and if your favorite player isn't listed, add him. You can also re-rank this list of NBA defenders in any order you want.
Kawhi Anthony Leonard is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. Leonard, a 6-ft 7-in, 230-lb small forward, played college ...more
Paul Clifton Anthony George is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association. George played high school ...more
Rudy Gobert is a French professional basketball player who currently plays for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. He also represents the French national basketball team in the ...more
Anthony Marshon Davis, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association. He plays the power forward and ...more
Draymond Jamal Green Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Green, who plays primarily at the power forward ...more
Marcus Osmond Smart is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for Oklahoma ...more
Giannis Antetokounmpo (born December 6, 1994) is a Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed the "Greek ...more
Jimmy Butler III is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing one year of college basketball for Tyler ...more
Robert Covington is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The small forward played college basketball for the ...more
André Lee Roberson is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for ...more
Patrick Beverley (born July 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for ...more
Jrue Randall Holiday is an American professional basketball player who currently for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for one season ...more
Joel Hans Embiid is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After one year of college basketball with the Kansas ...more
Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association. Oladipo played college ...more
Klay Alexander Thompson is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. Listed at 6'7", he plays ...more
Daniel Richard "Danny" Green, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. He is a 6 ft 6 in, ...more
Andre Tyler Iguodala is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. He was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and ...more
Joel-Hans Embiid is a Cameroonian professional basketball player who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. The 76ers drafted Embiid third overall in the 2014 ...more
Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has won the NBA Rookie of the ...more
Avery Antonio Bradley Jr. (born November 26, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college ...more
Kevin Wayne Durant is an American professional basketball player who plays with the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association. Standing at 6 ft 9 in and weighing 240 pounds, ...more
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. Standing at 6 ft 8 in and weighing 250 lbs., he has started ...more
Hassan Niam Whiteside is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Marshall ...more
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for Texas ...more
not on the list? add item #44
List Rules: Only current NBA Defenders. No retired or collegiate players.
