Predicting the unpredictable 2023–2024 NBA All-Defensive Teams

With the NBA regular season coming to a close, the hardcore awards discussion is at its pinnacle. The major awards seem to be (mostly) solidified at this point, but the interesting and more complex arguments are for the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams.

Today, we will sort through which ten players should make up the 2024 All-Defensive teams, setting aside the players’ reputations and star status. Instead, we will focus solely on which players have had the biggest defensive impacts this season and how much their defensive skills have helped translate to winning basketball throughout this 2023–2024 season.

The All-Defensive arguments are always the toughest to sort out because the types of elite defenders vary significantly. What should be valued most? Daunting rim protection? Lockdown perimeter defense? Positional versatility? A mix of the three?

The discussion is complicated further when you must consider how much defensive help that player has on the court with him. What is more important, a player who can make a bad defensive team above average or great when he is on the court?... Or a player who is a valuable piece of an elite team defense, but does not have to carry as much of the load?

Lastly, this is the first year that the 65-game minimum for all-defensive teams must also be considered. Without further ado, let’s sort through the madness! We begin with our potential All-Defensive caliber players who will not meet the 65-game minimum and our “Other Honorable Mentions” group:

Will Not Play 65 Games:

OG Anunoby - New York Knicks

Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers

Draymond Green - Golden State Warriors

Jimmy Butler - Miami Heat

Evan Mobley - Cleveland Cavaliers

Jonathan Isaac - Orlando Magic

The “Other Honorable Mentions”:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Oklahoma City Thunder

Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - Denver Nuggets

Chet Holmgren - Oklahoma City Thunder

Dillon Brooks - Houston Rockets

Kawhi Leonard - Los Angeles Clippers

Isaiah Hartenstein - New York Knicks

Jaylen Brown - Boston Celtics

Josh Hart - New York Knicks

Next, we have the players who just missed the cut for the All-Defensive 2nd team, making up our “If there was an All-Defensive Third Team” group...

If there was an All-Defensive Third Team for 2024:

Anthony Edwards - Minnesota Timberwolves

The young 22-year-old budding superstar has been tremendous on the defensive end this season. His perimeter defense has been fantastic, and his size and athleticism allow him to provide backside rim protection and help defense as well. With that being said, it is very likely that Edwards’ defensive numbers and play are boosted by the likes of Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels also sharing the court with him.

Jrue Holiday - Boston Celtics

Holiday is another player that has the luxury of playing alongside other high-level defenders, with every Boston Celtics starter being a plus-defender. The 33-year-old guard hasn’t appeared to slow down much at all this year and is coming off of back-to-back-to-back All-Defensive Team appearances. Holiday’s on-ball defense is still incredible, however he has simply been asked to do less than he was when with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Lu Dort - Oklahoma City Thunder

It seems like the popular pick to make an All-Defensive Team from OKC this year has been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Despite that, Lu Dort deserves some love and should get the slight nod over his MVP-caliber teammate. Dort routinely defends the best perimeter player on the opposing team, allowing SGA to defend their second option. He does all of the dirty work for OKC and despite being undersized, he is an absolute menace on the defensive end of the floor.

Brook Lopez - Milwaukee Bucks

Most seasons, Brook Lopez would make the All-Defensive 2nd Team. Unfortunately for him, this is a stacked defensive year for fellow big men and defenders in general. Lopez leads the NBA in contested shots per game at 16.0 per game, which is 4.2 more than the next closest player (Chet Holmgren, 11.8 per game). He and Giannis have both helped the Bucks’ defense stay afloat following the Lillard-Holiday trade which obviously caused the perimeter defense to take a step back.

Jarrett Allen - Cleveland Cavaliers

Rightfully so, Jarrett Allen is still currently listed with the 5th best odds for Defensive Player of the Year. He was at his best when the Cavs went on a 17-1 record run and when he was not playing alongside Evan Mobley. Since that point however, their defense has been very up and down and the Allen-Mobley big duo still seems to be figuring it out, causing him to see those DPOY odds slide. In an uber-competitive All-Defensive year, he just missed out on All-Defensive Second Team.

Now for the players that did make the cut! 

Who the 2024 All-Defensive Second Team should be:

Derrick White - Boston Celtics

We’ve seen the names Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday mentioned as players who missed the cut for the All-NBA Second Team, but it would be criminal to not include a single Celtic. Derrick White has been stupendously good this year in his defensive role in Boston, as they’ve cruised to the 2nd ranked defense in the league.

He is averaging a jaw-dropping 1.2 blocks per game as a guard, which has not been done since Dwayne Wade in the 2011–2012- season. While the All-Star buzz for White might have been a bit outlandish, him making his second All-Defensive team this year is completely fair.

Jaden McDaniels - Minnesota Timberwolves

Here we have another teammate with an honorable mention for All-Defensive Second Team, Jaden McDaniels. Oftentimes, defenses are built around an interior anchor, such as Rudy Gobert. The Timberwolves are lucky enough to also have an exterior defensive anchor in McDaniels.

He has the versatility and size to defend the 1-4 positions and has made the lives of opposing guards and wings complete mayhem this season. Here’s to hoping he doesn’t punch a wall right before the playoffs this year.

Aaron Gordon - Denver Nuggets

Say hello to one of the most underrated defenders in the NBA, Aaron Gordon. We just praised Jaden McDaniels for being able to defend 1-4. Gordon is one of the few players in the NBA who actively defends guards, forwards, and centers. Come playoff time, he even becomes the Nuggets designated backup center.

Since the All-Star Break, he is responsible for the lowest defended FG% in the entire NBA (min. 200 shots defended) at an insane 38.6%. He might not have the reputation or star status to make this team in real life, but boy does he deserve it.

Anthony Davis - Los Angeles Lakers

For the first time since the 2019–2020 season, Anthony Davis is healthy enough to make the All-Defensive Team. Much like he usually is while actually on the court, he has been dominant on defense. Davis is 2nd in the league at 2.4 blocks per game, and also averages 1.2 steals per game.

He has helped cover for a lot of the below-average defensive players that the Lakers start, such as Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Taurean Prince, and Rui Hachimura. Without Davis, LAL would likely be a bottom-5 defense in the NBA.

Victor Wembanyama - San Antonio Spurs

Anthony Davis is 2nd in the NBA in blocks per game, but who ranks 1st? That would be the rookie phenom, Victor Wembanyama. Not only does he lead the league, but it isn’t even close, as he averages 3.5 swats per contest. He has recorded 7+ blocks in six games already in his young career. So why isn’t he on the All-Defensive First Team?

Well, he was the primary defender on a team that allowed Joel Embiid to score 70 points. At times this season, he has been bullied by bulkier centers and occasionally will look a bit lost on the floor. This might be the only time he isn’t on the All-Defensive First Team for the next decade.

Now for the five players, ignoring reputation and star status, that make up the All-Defensive First Team for the 2023-2024 season:

Who the 2024 All-Defensive First Team should be:

Jalen Suggs - Orlando Magic

Any casual NBA fans may be caught off guard to see Jalen Suggs listed here, but all of the diehards will know what a prodigious defender he has been this year. He ranks 2nd in the league among guards in defensive rating at 110.2, trailing just Anthony Edwards. The difference is that he does not have the luxury of playing alongside two other All-Defensive caliber players in the starting lineup.

Orlando is still the 3rd best defensive team in the league and Suggs is the biggest catalyst as to why as their point of attack defender. He is one of the most disruptive backcourt defenders in the entire league.

Alex Caruso - Chicago Bulls

Now we go from Suggs, who would be making his first All-Defensive Team this year, to a more familiar face in Alex Caruso, who received his first All-Defensive Team honors last season. Caruso has played exactly as advertised and has been one of the few defensive bright spots on a middle of the pack Chicago team. He does all of the heavy-lifting on the perimeter and there is a reason why the Bulls have been hesitant to include him in potential trades… It’s because he is a top three non-big defender in the league and just turned 30.

Herb Jones - New Orleans Pelicans

Players have nightmares about Herb Jones. His defensive prowess this season has been comparable to the effectiveness of a Jaden McDaniels, but he will get the slight nod for All-Defensive First Team due to performing this well with a weaker surrounding cast.

He doesn’t have the eye-popping counting stats that a few other wings have, but the eye test itself showcases him being perhaps the best wing-defender in the league. He has shut down some of the biggest stars in the NBA, most notably in early-March when he held Tyrese Haliburton scoreless in a win against the Pacers.

Bam Adebayo - Miami Heat

2023-2024 has been yet another fantastic defensive showing for Bam Adebayo. He has helped carry the Miami Heat on both ends of the floor with Jimmy Butler having missed 22 games and Tyler Herro having missed 40 games this year.

Adebayo is still the prototypical “Big who can defend every position” and is understandably 3rd in Defensive Player of the Year odds. Victor Wembanyama is currently 2nd in front of Adebayo, but even though the 6’9” 26-year-old does not stuff the statsheet as much as Wemby, he has been the more consistent and reliable defender across the entirety of the season.

Rudy Gobert - Minnesota Timberwolves

No shocker here. Rudy Gobert is not only a lock for the All-Defensive First Team this season, but he should be the clear Defensive Player of the Year for 2023-2024. Minnesota is one of the best defensive teams in modern NBA history and Gobert anchoring the defense is a huge reason as to why.

He leads the league by a wide margin in defensive rating, at an awe-inspiring 103.9 this season. The “horrible trade” talks from two seasons ago are no longer relevant, and Gobert has proven that he is well worth the assets that Minnesota gave up.

If these “reputation and star status aside” NBA All-Defensive Teams do come to fruition, the NBA community would get to see five first-timers who get to experience this defensive honor: Herb Jones, Jalen Suggs, Victor Wembanyama, Jaden McDaniels, and Aaron Gordon.