Kendrick Perkins, the former NBA champion, has come under fire from fans online for dropping a questionable list of his top-five defenders in the league at the moment. According to Perkins, the top five defenders in the league right now, in order, are:
1. Alex Caruso
2. Evan Mobley
3. Amen Thompson
4. Victor Wembanyama
5. Lu Dort
This list completely skipped the league leader for steals in 2024-25, Dyson Daniels. He also left out elite defenders like Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo from his list. This did not sit well with fans online as they believed Perkins’ list was outrageous.
“Man, this was a good list till I saw number one, what the fu**?”
“This motherf***** is stealing money from ESPN.”
“Crazy that this guy still has a platform.”
“AD is the best defender in the league.”
“Funny how AD clears everyone on this list Lmaoo.”
“No Dyson Daniels, huh?”
“Wait, how’s Dyson Daniels not on this list? Wasn’t he runner-up for DPOY, led the league in steals, or something like that?”
Anthony Davis has been a dominant defender for several years now. But he was injured for a significant portion of last season, and this is probably why he didn’t get the respect he deserves for his defensive skills.
He has never won the Defensive Player of the Year award but has made multiple instances of appearances on All-NBA Defensive teams as well as leading the league in blocks. And Dyson Daniels led the league in steals, averaging 3.0 steals per game in 2024-25. Fans felt these two players belonged on the list.
There are several elite veteran defenders whom Perkins may have missed out here, like Jrue Holiday or Marcus Smart. I must concede it is not easy to shortlist your top five in a league full of elite defenders. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at the players he picked in his top five.
Evan Mobley is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and is justified to be on this list. Victor Wembanyama led the league with the most blocks (3.7 per game) in 2024-25, and hence we do not question his inclusion.
Amen Thompson rose to prominence for his defense when he became the defensive player of the month in January 2025 after a month-long stint of locking down superstars and unreal defensive plays with his superhuman athleticism. He managed to reach the All-Defensive First Team and is, hence, a justified addition to the list.
Lu Dort was a part of the All-Defensive First Team as well. He has been considered an elite defender in the league for a while now and is justified to be on this list as well.
Alex Caruso had the best defensive rating for the 2024-25 season on the Thunder (103.8), who ended up winning the NBA championship. Like the common rationale for an MVP says the best player on the best team deserves the MVP, similarly, the best defender on the best team also deserves the recognition.
Therefore, this was not an easy choice since all the names on this list are also elite defenders. So let’s not so hastily jump on Perkins for coming up with a rather solid list. Maybe the rankings of who is better than whom are under question here, but these are arguably also the top defenders in the league.
