NBA Defensive Player of the Year: A Mid-Season Check In

The race for the 2025–26 Defensive Player of the Year Award is shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested in years. With a trio of players acting as the last line of defense between man and basket, a player who could become the first guard in thirty years to win the award, and a third-year athletic stud, these five individuals can change the game without scoring a basket. 

1. Victor Wembanyama - San Antonio Spurs

Wembanyama should be running away with the award if only he could stay on the court. Averaging nearly 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, Wembanyama is a cheat code for modern defense. Whether it is in the paint or on the perimeter, the Spurs phenom seems like he can cover the entire floor and any position. The problem? He's already missed significant time this season with a calf injury, and with the 65-game threshold looming, availability might cost him the hardware again. 

2. Chet Holmgren - Oklahoma City Thunder

Holmgren anchors the NBA's top-ranked defense, and while teammates deserve credit, he's the focal point of the league’s stingiest defense. His rim protection, combined with his switchability, makes him a nightmare matchup, and voters love it when the stats align with the eye test. While Wembanyama might have more blocks per game (Holmgren has 2 per game), the Thunder’s lanky rim protector actually challenges more shots per game, 0.9 to 0.8. 

3. Rudy Gobert - Minnesota Timberwolves 

The four-time winner is chasing history; a fifth DPOY would break the tie with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace. Unfortunately, Gobert likely won’t win because people tend to prefer change and new things, but the Timberwolves’ big man’s defensive impact metrics are the best in the league. Minnesota ranks second defensively with him on the court, but dead last when he sits; these numbers exceed his previous DPOY seasons. He's averaging 11 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks while shooting a league-leading 72% from the field.

4. Derrick White - Boston Celtics

White is posting career highs in both blocks and steals per game, making him one of only two players (along with Evan Mobley) averaging at least 1.5 blocks and a steal (1.3). Guards rarely win DPOY, with the last one being Gary Payton in 1995–96, but White's defensive profile is impossible to ignore. He guards every position, dives for loose balls, and is the only true guard in the league, averaging over one block per game. If voters are willing to think outside the traditional big-man box, White's got a legitimate case as the best all-around defender in basketball.

5. Amen Thompson - Houston Rockets

A dark horse pick that has quickly become one of the best two-way players in the league, Thompson is averaging 18.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.3 steals. Earning All-Defensive First Team honors last season as a second-year player, Thompson finished fifth in DPOY voting. Houston's defense has been legitimately good, and Thompson's ability to guard multiple positions makes him the kind of disruptive player that could sneak into the conversation if the favorites stumble.