With the playoffs going at full steam, almost every regular season award has been revealed already, which leaves us with the expectation for the All-NBA teams. With this in mind, it is high time we made our prediction for the NBA All-Defensive first team. Here are they:
O.G. Anunoby – Toronto Raptors
The 25-year-old has pleasantly surprised us with his defensive improvement this year. Anunoby can defend pretty much any position, making him one of the most versatile and underrated defenders in the NBA. Moreover, as the league leader in total and per-game steals, he helped the Raptors put up with their losing streak throughout the season, almost advancing to the playoffs.
2022-2023 Stats: 16.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 113.2 Defensive Rating
Jrue Holiday – Milwaukee Bucks
As the only “guard” in this list, Holiday is a fantastic defender for his size, one of the best two-way players in the league, making him undervalued in this category. He adapted to whatever the Milwaukee Bucks needed from him this year, responding well to pressure throughout the regular season.
2022-2023 Stats: 19.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 112.4 Defensive Rating
Evan Mobley – Cleveland Cavaliers
With barely 21 years of age, Mobley is already the central piece of the NBA’s number one defense, the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is superb at pick-and-roll defense schemes while adapting to the opponent’s position, which is quite rare to find these days. Finishing third in the DPOY voting: Mobley has a bright future ahead of him.
2022-2023 Stats: 16.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 108.1 Defensive Rating
Jaren Jackson Jr. – Memphis Grizzlies
The now Defensive Player of the Year, Jaren Jackson Jr., is the only member of the team to be here two years in a row. His dominance on that side of the court is undeniable, allowing the Grizzlies to clinch the number two seed in the Western Conference and stepping up whenever their co-stars were not playing. We can also see his distinction on paper, as he led the league in blocks per game and only allowed a shooting percentage of 46.9% below the rim.
2022-2023 Stats: 18.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 3.0 BPG, 105.3 Defensive Rating
Brook Lopez – Milwaukee Bucks
Despite being the favorite to win, he finished a very close second in the DPOY voting. Lopez had the best regular season of his 15-year career. His role in the Bucks is irreplaceable, leading the entire NBA in total blocks this season, with 193, and contested shots, with 17.5 per game, allowing his team to have the best record in the league. All this while playing 78 games, the most consistent out of these five players.
2022-2023 Stats: 15.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.5 BPG, 109.4 Defensive Rating
Unsurprisingly, these five outstanding players are each deserving of the NBA All-Defensive first team, having shown unparalleled ability on that side of the court. However, it is worth mentioning that we were a little lenient regarding positions, which could result in slight variations when being stricter at selecting players based solely on position. Either way, we look forward to what these players can bring to the table in their remaining postseason games.
Text Sources: nba.com, basketball-reference.com
Image Sources: nba.com
