NBA top 100 defenders rankings (11-100): Where do Jayson Tatum, Walker Kessler land on list for 2026-27?

It's time for one of my favorite columns of the year, my fourth annual top 100 defenders list. Many outlets create a top 20, 30 or 100 list of the best players in the league (I do my own top 150). To my knowledge, I remain the only national NBA writer that ranks defenders at the same depth. 

That is a shame, because defense remains a hugely important and underrated component of winning games. Don't believe the casuals who claim that defense isn't played in the NBA any more. In truth, defensive schemes have become more complicated than ever, and it takes true talent to break into the top 100 of this list. 

Those skills aren't given nearly enough credit, in large part because defense remains extremely difficult to evaluate. Stats don't do nearly as good a job capturing the defensive side of the ball as the offensive side. Defense is also much more difficult to gauge via the eye test. It's easy to see a guy make a beautiful move and score the ball. It's much more difficult to notice a defender who is always in the correct position to close off driving gaps, preventing drives from even happening. 

In order to evaluate defense, you need to know what both coaches are trying to accomplish, what the schemes are that every team in the league plays, and who is executing those schemes correctly. A lot of defense happens away from the ball, so you must also train yourself to watch all 10 players on the floor. 

Nobody is able to do that perfectly. I'm doing my best though after watching a ton of games and studying how these players defend. And hopefully, even my mistakes advance the discussion, shining more of a light on the contributions that largely go unnoticed outside of All-Defensive selections. 

Here is my list of the top 100 defenders in the NBA, based on the overall impact that they have on a team's defense. Part 1 of this story covers No. 11 to No. 100. Part 2 will cover 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: 11-100

Top 11-25 defenders

Anthony Davis and Jaren Jackson Jr. will have their work cut out for them. They're on the bottom two defenses from last season. Both have the capacity to lift a team due to their elite rim protection. There are a combined eight All-Defensive selections between the two big men. 

Ivica Zubac isn't quite as versatile as those two. But he has been an elite drop big and can also guard higher up the floor, near the level of the screen. He will have to do more of that coverage this season with the Pacers. He's anchored Clippers defenses in the past with his size, shot-blocking, and rebounding. He should similarly revitalize a Pacers defense that struggled last year. 

Point of attack defense has become more important with how talented perimeter players are now. There are some true stoppers in this group. 

Lu Dort is a somewhat polarizing player in that he is tough as nails on the ball but has never rated particularly well in defensive impact numbers. A change of scenery in Atlanta should show that he is great no matter what system he's in. 

Jalen Suggs, Stephon Castle, and Dillon Brooks play an intensely physical style of defense that frustrates opponents and gets in their heads. Cason Wallace has some of the best hands in the league. Nobody has a better center of gravity than Jrue Holiday, who can guard up in position with that strength. 

Then there are the elite wings in the league. Herb Jones has his own "Not on Herb" rallying cry. He's incredibly disruptive, and he has the wingspan and athleticism to hang with all types of assignments. OG Anunoby is the Ed Reed of the NBA, anticipating passes better than anyone and picking them off for layups. Toumani Camara is relentless, guarding opponents 94 feet and putting forth multiple efforts to stay in plays. 

NBA PROJECTED WIN TOTALS: Eastern Conference | Western Conference

Top 26-50 defenders

The Celtics have been a great defense throughout the Joe Mazzulla era in part because they are great at taking away the rim. They have two stellar options to lead that system in Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson, both of whom are capable starting centers. Both were in the top 30 in blocks per game, and both have massive 7-foot-4 wingspans to intimidate opponents. Boston can throw another curveball at opponents with Jayson Tatum, who can play small ball center in a pinch and has the versatility to guard all over the floor. 

The Raptors are another elite defense with four representatives in this portion of this list. Everyone knows that Kawhi Leonard is a talented defender. While he doesn't have quite the on-ball juice he once did, he's still a menace when swiping at the ball as a help defender, which is highly encouraged in Darko Rajakovic's system. Jamal Shead is a bulldog who teleports into passing lanes. Ja'Kobe Walter is a great on-ball defender with limitless energy. And Collin Murray-Boyles was as good as advertised defensively as a rookie, adding versatility, a ton of deflections, and extremely high feel. 

The Lakers have made a huge investment in Walker Kessler, hoping that the big man can clean up their weaknesses on the perimeter. He has great size at 7-foot-2 and 245 pounds, and Victor Wembanyama is the only player who averaged more than his 2.4 blocks per game during his last healthy season. 

Los Angeles will need to make up for the loss of Marcus Smart, whose point-of-attack defense and hustle was pivotal last year. Smart is playing for a tough-nosed Rockets team now, and Matisse Thybulle offers the best option to replace his production. Thybulle flies around the court, has impeccable timing, great length, and is the best in the league at blocking 3's. 

The Mavericks have the potential to be a solid defense with Cooper Flagg and Dereck Lively II in the frontcourt. Flagg has all of the defensive tools to be a special defender who can guard multiple positions, sprint for blocks, and be in the right places with his extraordinary feel and high motor. Lively moves down a few slots on this year's list simply due to availability issues. The talented big man still isn't fully healed from a foot injury that had him missing most of last season. He was on an All-Defensive path previously with his shot-blocking and mobility.

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

There are several newcomers to this year's list in this range. Jordan Walsh cares deeply about defense, and it shows up in how locked in he is. He energizes the Celtics with his hustle and ability to get big stops. 

Dru Smith is one of the most talented perimeter defenders in the league. His quick hands cause a ton of deflections and steals, and he can stay in front of anyone. 

The next generation of defensive big men have already arrived. Dylan Cardwell combines good size with great mobility, protecting the rim, guarding one-on-one in the post, and switching onto some of the best wing scorers. Oso Ighodaro has great instincts, moves well, and has the athleticism to bother opponents at the rim. Moussa Diabate is a hustle demon, guarding capably on the ball and earning hugs from his coach Charles Lee. 

Then there are the names that have made every version of this list since its inception. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were both trained by SGA's father Vaughan Alexander. They would compete in everything, and going against each other in one-on-one to try and stop future 20 point-per-game scorers paid dividends. 

Andrew Nembhard has the coolest signature defensive move on this list, pulling the chair from scorers and forcing travels as they try to drive into him. He didn't quite show consistency we've come to expect defensively last season but should return to form with less offensive responsibility. 

NBA BOLD PREDICTIONS: Eastern Conference | Western Conference

Top 76-100 defenders

This is my favorite portion of the list, where we get to some hidden gems. 

Fans outside of Charlotte probably didn't notice Sion James' rookie year. He was a pleasant surprise coming out of the second round though, providing great isolation defense, switching seamlessly onto all sorts of difficult matchups, and slithering his way around screens when the game plan calls for it. 

Any time you can combine physicality, hustle, and good tools, you will probably get a good defender. Ron Holland is a perfect example. Holland routinely shuts down some of the great stars of the game, staying glued to them, poking at the ball, and wearing them down with his effort. 

Jaylin Williams doesn't appear to be a great defender on paper. The 6-foot-9 big man has averaged only half a block per game for his career. He wins by beating opponents to their spots though, drawing a ton of charges and getting in the way enough to force a lot of misses or prevent shots from happening. It's the other Jalen Williams that gets most of the shine on the Thunder, but Jaylin's terrific rebounding, motor, and smarts are doing work behind the scenes. 

The knock on Zach Edey coming out of the draft was that his defense would keep him out of the league. It's time to bury that narrative. His footspeed certainly isn't great, but it's better than what many expected coming out of Purdue. And he's a monster paint protector, getting a ton of blocks and making opponents shoot 12.9 percent worse at the rim against him. He also swallows up rebounds like no other. He can still look bad in the wrong matchup, but that 7-3 size has made him a good defender. 

It has been hard for rookies to make this list. They are usually massive negatives defensively, unless they possess unusually high instincts. Allen Graves clearly falls into that category and is the only player from his draft class to show up here. The No. 19 pick was a turnover-generating machine at Santa Clara, and he followed that up with an impressive Summer League performance. He's not a great athlete and can foul too much, but he knows how to read the game and found a perfect fit on an aggressive Raptors defense.