In the NBA, defense isn’t always what gets you noticed. Out of roughly 450 active players, most made it to the big leagues because they can score. But a special few? They’re in the league because they can stop others from scoring.
True defensive stars are rare. Only a handful of teams can claim they have elite defensive talent on their roster.
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins recently stirred up controversy with his list of the NBA’s top five defensive players: Alex Caruso, Evan Mobley, Amen Thompson, Victor Wembanyama, and Lu Dort.
Basketball fans immediately questioned some notable omissions.
The list features two players from the 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, plus Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley.
Thompson, Mobley, and Dort all made the All-Defensive first team this past season. Wembanyama landed on the second team, while Caruso made the third team.
But where’s Giannis?
The Greek Freak was named Defensive Player of the Year back in 2019-20 and made four straight All-Defensive first teams. At 30 years old, Antetokounmpo has had to focus more on scoring for the Bucks lately, which might explain his defensive numbers dropping off.
Miami’s Bam Adebayo is another glaring omission from Perkins’ list.
Adebayo somehow didn’t make any All-Defensive team this past season, breaking his impressive streak of five consecutive selections.
True NBA fans know Bam is the defensive anchor for the Heat, even if he doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves.
The social media backlash was immediate, with one user posting “Fire Perk immediately like wtf ” in response to the controversial rankings.
It’s just another example of how offseason player rankings always seem to generate heated debates among NBA fans and analysts alike.
