Kendrick Perkins Makes Surprise Selection For Best Defensive Player in the NBA

While defense isn't played the way it once was in the NBA, the league is still littered with players who play at an elite level without the ball in their hands. Last season, the Defensive Player of the Year Award was won by Cleveland's Evan Mobley, following the likes of Rudy Gobert, Marcus Smart, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Giannis Antetokounmpo in recent times.

Now, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins has made a very surprising list of the top defenders in the NBA, and while the names are all fantastic, he has the reigning DPOY at No. 2 with a different name on top.

In Perkins' mind, the best defender in the NBA is Alex Caruso, who has long been seen as an elite defender in the league, but placing him over Mobley is something that most NBA fans simply won't agree with.

In his first season with Oklahoma City, Caruso averaged 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks a night playing on the wing, becoming a key part of a dominant Championship run that saw the Thunder claim their first-ever NBA title. Despite all this, most would likely agree that Mobley is the league's best defender given his versatility and the hardware to back it up, with most noting that it's Championship bias that sees Perkins rank Caruso No. 1.

Ultimately, this is just the opinion of a former NBA player turned analyst, but for a player like Caruso, it likely means a lot to have his defensive play validated by those at ESPN after a fantastic 2024/25 campaign.