Defense wins championships. It’s common refrain in sports, one that has never been more true than the Boston Celtics‘ recent title, when they made a potent Dallas Mavericks offense with two of the greatest offensive talents in league history look average. Throughout the postseason, elite defenses were on display, showing that even with all the best offensive talent in the world, if you can’t defend, you’re not going to get very far. It’s why the moves made during the offseason haven’t been all that surprising, with large sums of money being thrown at guys who can credibly defend.
Look at the Hawks, who were trying to trade one of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, and managed to move Murray to the Pelicans because of his value on defense. Young’s trade value has never been lower because he’s a liability on that end of the floor. Same with the Bulls, who have no market for Zach LaVine, a top-tier talent offensively, but a hole on defense, coupled with a massive contract no one wants on their books.
There’s never been a better time to be an elite defender or two-way player, and most of the moves made this summer echoed that. Even Josh Hart called attention to it on social media, noting how there’s so many quality defensive duos after all the trades and free agency signings made over the last month. So with that in mind, as we prepare for the 2024-25 season, here’s the top five defensive units that should make life the most difficult on opponents.
Honorable mention: New Orleans Pelicans — The Pelicans already have Herbert Jones, named First Team All-Defensive this past season, and Jose Alvarado. Jones has emerged as a two-way force for New Orleans, with a 7’0″ wingspan that aids in slowing down even the quickest of guards. Alvarado quickly gained attention for his now signature move, when he sneakily steals the ball from inattentive guards in the backcourt, creating for some memorable video clips. But he’s more than the backcourt-steal guy, capable of causing mayhem and getting under the skin of your best player.
And now, the Pelicans will add Murray to the mix, giving them another capable defender to throw at opponents. Murray’s defensive capabilities were never on full display with a dysfunctional Hawks team the last two seasons, but his time with the Spurs showed he’s certainly capable of disrupting things on that end of the floor. He led the league in steals during the 2021-22 season, the year in which he was named an All-Star, and earned Second Team All-Defensive honors in just his second season in the NBA. If Murray can channel that defensive energy he had with the Spurs down in New Orleans, the Pelicans will once again have a stout defense for next season.
5. Orlando Magic
The hallmark of this Magic team last season was their defense. They started the year with the second-best defense through the first month of the season, and that was thanks to guys like Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac, as well as the stars in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Suggs earned Second Team All-Defensive honors, which wasn’t surprising, given he was routinely tasked with the toughest defensive assignments for the Magic. Then there’s Jonathan Isaac, who, despite years of injuries, has turned himself into a staunch defender off the bench for Orlando. His length makes him an obvious rim protector, and while you would think he’s slow-footed for his size, he’s quite the opposite, capable of showing off some agility when guarding out on the perimeter.
Orlando was already a tough draw defensively, and despite losing in the first round, still held the Cavaliers to less than 100 points in five of their seven matchups. And now they add Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a two-time champion who’s a versatile defender. His 3-point shooting is going to be valuable to the Magic, but his veteran leadership on the defensive side of the ball should take this Orlando defense that was already bubbling with potential to the next level.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
It starts with Rudy Gobert, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year and the ultimate rim protector. But Minnesota’s defense is more than Gobert, and that’s why this Wolves team has made it farther than any Utah Jazz team when Gobert was with them. Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker put an immense amount of pressure out on the perimeter. We watched in real time how disruptive McDaniels can be throughout Minnesota’s playoff run. He held Devin Booker to just 33% from the field, made life difficult for Kevin Durant, and against the Nuggets had Jamal Murray in hell, as the normally efficient guard shot just 8 of 25 when McDaniels guarded him. He earned Second Team All-Defensive honors for his performance, and at 23 years old he’s only going to get better from here.
Alexander-Walker continues that defensive effort when he checks in off the bench, and Anthony Edwards made a point this season to be more committed on that end of the floor. That trio of players ensures that Gobert doesn’t have to do everything on defense for things to work, something that he didn’t have in Utah.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder just got significantly better in the offseason on defense, and should be the favorites to finish as the top seed in the West again next season because of it. They already had the fourth-ranked defense last season, and will be adding two-time All-Defensive player in Alex Caruso to a stable of tough, young defenders in Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Dort’s size and strength made him an excellent weapon to deploy against Luka Doncic in the second round. Doncic can typically throw his weight around with smaller guards like Dort, who stands just 6’3″, but his sheer strength and knack for getting up under opponents made him a pest for Doncic to deal with. He’s also quick enough to bother faster guards, like Irving, who struggled in the second round against OKC.
We’ll have to see if Caruso will slot into the now vacant starting spot left by Giddey after being traded to the Bulls. If he does, then OKC will have two All-Defensive guys on the perimeter in Caruso and Dort, and that’s going to be a headache against elite perimeter scorers. And if guys do manage to get past them, then there’s Chet Holmgren manning the paint; as a rookie, he averaged the fourth-most blocks in the league, tied with Anthony Davis at 2.3 a game. And on top of that, OKC added another elite rim protector in Isaiah Hartenstein, a bigger, stronger center to pair with Holmgren so they won’t get manhandled like they did against the Mavericks. The Thunder basically addressed their limited weaknesses this summer by adding Hartenstein and just stacked another top defender on top of the strong group they already have. They should once again finish as a top-five defensive team.
2. New York Knicks
If you want to know how committed the Knicks are to defense, then look no further than the fact they just traded five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges, and re-signed OG Anunoby to a massive contract worth $200 million. Both players obviously provide a lot on the offensive side of the ball as well, but their defense is going to be what’s talked about the most if the Knicks want to seriously challenge the Celtics this season. When Bridges was with the Phoenix Suns, his defense was paramount in aiding the Suns’ run to the NBA Finals. He finished second as Defensive Player of the Year that year, and earned First Team All-Defensive honors as well. He matches up well against positions 1-3, and could probably defend against bigger forwards if needed.
He’ll now be joining Anunoby, who if he hadn’t been injured off and on this season likely would’ve made a second-straight All-Defensive team. Anunoby’s impact was so immense when he was on the floor, that when he went to the bench or was injured, the Knicks looked like a completely different team. When he was on the floor, the Knicks’ defensive rating was 101.8, a stark difference compared to a steep 118.2 when he was out. Bridges’ on/off numbers aren’t quite that eye-popping, but he makes a clear impact when he’s on the floor. The Knicks now have two ideal players to throw at the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown, and it doesn’t just stop there.
Jalen Brunson, while undersized, has the strength and commitment to hold his own defensively. Josh Hart is a do-it-all pest, capable of getting you rebounds, coming up with steals and all around just making things difficult for the opponent. And with Tom Thibodeau as coach, the expectation from everyone on the roster is that you’re going to play defense at a high level.
1. Boston Celtics
Everyone just witnessed how stifling Boston’s defense can be; that’s how they completely dismantled the Mavericks’ offense in the NBA Finals en route to their first championship since 2008. At any point in the game, all five guys are capable of defending at a high enough level to not be a liability. Jaylen Brown practically neutralized Luka Doncic. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White made Kyrie Irving invisible. Kristaps Porzingis — though limited in the Finals — totaled five blocks in three games, being the ultimate rim protector and rendering Dallas’ lob game useless.
The Mavericks tried to get the switches they wanted, but it didn’t work. Every time Doncic would get someone like Payton Pritchard on him, it didn’t do enough to make Boston sweat. There were no double teams, minimal help defense, and when no one is coming over to slow down Doncic and Irving, it renders their role players useless. It was a perfect defensive gameplan from Boston.
While the Celtics haven’t added anyone else to bolster up what is already a nearly perfect defense, they’re No. 1 on this list just by bringing everyone back. Until someone else can unseat them as the best team in the league — with a defense that ranked second in the league during the regular season — then they’ll stay there.
