Defense doesn’t get the appreciation that offense does, but it’s equally as important.
If a team employs one of the best defenders in the WNBA, they not only can shut down star players but also entire sections of the court, limiting an opponent’s offensive options.
There are a plethora of elite defenders in the league, but only one can be the Defensive Player of the Year. (Well, last year there were co-DPOYs, so that’s not technically true, but you understand the sentiment.)
Here are three players who
are early favorites to win the award, along with a few other defenders to watch.
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
A’ja Wilson is one of the best players to ever touch the hardwood.
Part of the reason is that she is a two-way player. On the defensive side, she has all the options available to her. She’s strong enough to make it impossible to back her down. Wilson also has the agility to keep up with the smaller players, so you can’t take advantage of her by switching her onto a guard.
Wilson also knows all the angles, and if you have generated space on her in a one-on-one scenario, best believe that was her intention. She’s baiting you to take the shot. By the time you realize this trap for what it is, she’s sending your shot attempt into the seats.
Wilson has already achieved every accolade possible, including DPOY. She’s won it three times already, and she’ll be a favorite to win it again this season.
Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury)
Alyssa Thomas long has been one of the best defensive players in the league.
Last season, she averaged 1.6 steals per game and ranked among the best interior defenders. Her ability to take away and discourage shots at the rim is one of the reasons she has been named to the WNBA All-Defense First Team three times.
The DPOY award has alluded her, but if she can keep her steal averages high, she’ll once again be in the running. Maybe this is the year she wins it.
Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever)
Few bigs are as good defensively as Aliyah Boston. She can bang in the paint, averaging 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. She also can be crafty near the perimeter and disrupt the stretch bigs, and has so much power, which she matches with incredible footwork, to make gaining an advantage on her when she’s settled virtually impossible.
Boston is a perfect modern center.
Playing for the Fever provides national attention, and if she keeps on improving as a defender, she can turn that media frenzy into the highest defensive honor.
Who else can make a DPOY bid?
Alanna Smith was the co-DPOY with Wilson and hasn’t looked to have lost a step this year. Now with the Dallas Wings, she’ll be in the conversation as the best defensive player this season once again. Her former teammate and 2024 DPOY winner Napheesa Collier is currently out, but if she returns in time, she should still be a top defender even after her injury.
Veronica Burton took a huge leap in her career last season. She was named Most Improved and made the All-Defensive Second Team. Can a DPOY award be in the cards for 2026? She’ll be a long shot, but definitely is a player to watch early on.
What do you think? Is it A’ja or else? Or, it is finally AT’s time? Can a perimeter defender, like Burton, emerge as a legitimate contender? Is there an underrated defender who could enter this conversation?
