Is the Defensive Player of the Year the WNBA’s most valuable defender or most outstanding defender?
A player who could be described as the “most valuable defender” likely expertly executes her responsibilities for her team’s top-ranked, helping to elevate the defense to such a level by unlocking different, versatile schemes. A player who is described as the “most outstanding defender” likely compiles impressive defensive playmaking stats that prove her individual defensive prowess, but, because of
context, may not be part of an elite, all-round team defense.
The best defenders, of course, are valuably outstanding, putting up league-leading individual numbers for a league-wrecking team defense. Recent (and possibly future) Defensive Player of the Year winners Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx (2024) and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces (2022, 2023) fit that bill.
Do any of this season’s candidates meet that high DPOY standard? One of Collier’s teammates from the league’s best defense, the Lynx’s Courtney Williams, and another player from a top-three defense in the Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas are under consideration for Defensive Player of the Year honors. Wilson also is, once again, a worthy candidate. Here’s a closer look at their resumes:
Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx)
Only two point guards in league history won the DPOY: Teresa Weatherspoon (1997, 1998) and Debbie Black (2001) and both players were league leaders in steals.
Why then is Courtney Williams, who’s averaging 1.2 steals per game, which is “only” good for the top-20 spot in the league, be honored with the award? Here’s Exhibit A from the Lynx game against the Liberty on July 30:
Those are just two plays, but they show that Williams has the dog in her necessary to discourage rival offenses. And while regular stats don’t show how good Williams is, advanced ones do. One that stands out is the defensive win shares, and with 2.3 Williams is in the top 10 and the highest-rated point guard in the league.
Then, there are the performances point guards from top teams have had against her. Let’s look at a few recent examples. Williams is one of the players in the league who can contain the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu like few others. On August 19, Ionescu made 28 percent of her shots (5-for-18). Three days earlier against Williams and the Lynx, the Liberty’s star guard shot 31 percent from the floor (5-for-16). And on August 10, Sabrina was 27 percent (4-for-15). On August 21, Williams held the Atlanta Dream’s Te-Hina Paopao to 3-for-10 from the floor. The Phoenix Mercury’s Sami Whitcomb? She was 2-for-8 with four turnovers on July 16.
Do some players still play well against Williams? Sure, but she’s the first line of defense on the best defensive team in the league. — Łukasz Muniowski
Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury)
For the past few seasons, I’ve ended the year by stumping for Alyssa Thomas to win one of the WNBA’s top two individual honors: MVP or Defensive Player of the Year.
And here we are again. Thomas returns as a top contender for both awards, even as she has yet to win either of them, despite turning in some of the most impactful seasons in league history. This year, finally, will Thomas triumph? Her DPOY case is compelling as ever.
In her first season with the Mercury, Thomas has imported her culture-setting defensive impact to the desert. In 2024, Phoenix floundered defensively, finishing with a 105.7 defensive rating as they allowed almost 85 points per game. In 2025, the Mercury sport a 99.7 defensive rating, permitting less than 80 points per game. Yes, more than Thomas’ arrival changed in Phoenix. Yet, the Mercury’s three-star model of Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper seemed more likely to win games with offense, not defense. Instead, the less-glamorous side of the ball has Phoenix in position to claim a top-four seed, with Thomas anchoring a group of mostly inexperienced and unheralded players.
Her individual defensive versatility unlocks the team’s overall defensive versatility. Even at 33 years old, an age often considered past a player’s athletic prime, Thomas has what it takes to guard offensive players of all archetypes. She can clamp players on the perimeter, bang with bigs the block and be a pirate in passing lanes—all in the same position, and all while wearing a devious grin.
No offensive player wants to see Thomas squaring up to guard her, and hat’s a well-earned honor that should come with another one: her long-awaited first Defensive Player of the Year award. — Cat Ariail
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
Honestly, until A’ja Wilson retires from the game of basketball, she will likely be a staple in Defensive Player of the Year voting. And surprise, here we are discussing her case for DPOY.
Wilson has won Defensive Player of the Year twice in the last three years, and that third year? She finished second. She is arguably the most impactful defensive player in the league, and this season is no exception. Wilson, who has spearheaded an abnormally impressive in-season turnaround for her Aces squad, has been equally impactful on both ends of the floor. The Aces’ sudden catapult has a lot to do with their defensive resurgence, and their captain, Wilson, is living up to her usual standards, providing 1.6 steals, 2.2 blocks and 7.9 defensive rebounds per game.
Wilson is currently leading the league in blocks per game, ranks second behind Angel Reese in defensive rebounds per game and is tied in third for steals per game, all while leading Vegas to a top-four defensive rating over the last 15 games; the Aces are up to seventh on the season in defensive rating, despite their slow start.
Wilson has graced the All-Defense First Team for three-consecutive seasons. This season, she should not only keep that streak alive, but also add another DPOY (and possible MVP) to her arsenal as well. —Mykah Horrell
