NBA All-Defensive Team Announced for 2024-25 Season

Victor Wembanyama was a frontrunner for the 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award until a blood clot in his right shoulder ended his season in February. Meanwhile, Evan Mobley from the Cleveland Cavaliers took home the title of the league’s top defensive player. The competition for the NBA All-Defensive team was intense, featuring a plethora of strong candidates.

On Thursday afternoon, the NBA unveiled the All-Defensive Team for the 2024-25 season. Mobley made the first team, joined by two other emerging talents: Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks and Armoni Brooks from the Houston Rockets. Additionally, Roodto of the Oklahoma City Thunder earned a spot on the first all-defensive team, marking the first time for him. Draymond Green completed the lineup, achieving his fourth selection to the first team.

This year’s all-defensive first team showcases impressive talent.

Measuring defense tends to be trickier than gauging offensive performance, which often leads to some deserving players being overlooked. However, this year appeared quite balanced. Daniels, Dort, Green, Mobley, and Thompson all certainly deserve their recognition.

If I had a vote for defensive player of the year (though there aren’t actually any votes), I would have chosen Ivica Zubac from the Clippers. Zubac headlines the second-team alongside Tumani Kamara from the Portland Trail Blazers, Jalen Williams from the Thunder, Rudy Gobert from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies.

Overall, there were a lot of deserving candidates.

Surprisingly, I correctly anticipated all ten players on the defensive teams with my hypothetical votes. The only misstep was placing Zubac on the second team instead of the first. Overall, the selections made by the NBA reflect a wealth of young defensive talent in the league.

Wembanyama has the potential to become the next great defensive player in the league, provided he remains healthy. Big men typically have a more significant defensive impact due to their rim protection and ability to secure rebounds. However, it’s encouraging to see so many perimeter defenders featured this year.