The race for the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophy is loaded, and the reigning winner isn't even the clear favorite anymore. From a returning giant in San Antonio to a four-time winner patrolling Minnesota's paint, this season's field of nba defensive player of the year candidates is deeper than it's been in a decade.
- Evan Mobley defends his 2024-25 DPOY crown for the Cleveland Cavaliers and remains the front-runner into 2026.
- Victor Wembanyama returns from a season-ending blood clot and immediately reenters the conversation as the ceiling pick.
- Rudy Gobert brings a four-time DPOY resume to Minnesota and still anchors the league’s stingiest defenses.
- Draymond Green and Jaren Jackson Jr. give voters two proven former winners as fallback options in 2026.
- Amen Thompson is the riser to watch if Houston’s defense keeps climbing through the second half of the season.
Why this matters
DPOY voting shapes more than a trophy case. It moves All-Defensive Team ballots, contract leverage, and — for bettors — futures markets that shift every week the standings move. SportsOrca tracks the award race because it's one of the few individual honors where the numbers and the eye test regularly disagree, and 2026 is shaping up to be a split-decision year.
The committee that hands out DPOY rewards a mix of team defensive rating, individual deterrence, and versatility across positions. That's why bigs have dominated the award for a decade, but 2026 has real wing and point-of-attack candidates pushing into the mix for the first time since Draymond Green's peak seasons.
How we ranked these candidates
This list weighs three things: proven defensive impact on team rating, positional versatility, and voter history — because DPOY voters lean toward players and franchises they've already rewarded. Past winners get real weight here; the award has gone to a repeat-caliber player in six of the last ten seasons. Availability matters too — a candidate who misses 20-plus games rarely wins, no matter how dominant the tape looks.
Each entry below carries a clear verdict — Buy, Hold, Wait, or Skip — based on where that player's odds and role stand as the 2025-26 season moves into its second half.
The ranked list: NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates for 2026
1. Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) — the incumbent
Mobley won the 2024-25 DPOY award outright, and Cleveland's defense hasn't dropped off since the calendar flipped. He guards four positions in a single possession and still protects the rim behind Cleveland's switch-everything scheme. The Cavaliers built their whole defensive identity around his length at both ends of the floor.
Voters rarely strip the crown from a healthy incumbent unless another team's defensive rating separates by a wide margin. Mobley's floor is a Top-3 finish even in a down stretch. Verdict: Buy.
2. Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) — the ceiling
Wembanyama missed the second half of the 2024-25 season with a blood clot near his shoulder, and the league held its breath. He's back for the Spurs in 2025-26, standing 7-foot-4 with a wingspan that erases entire driving lanes, and San Antonio's defensive rating swings dramatically with him on the floor versus off it.
Health is the only variable here. If Wembanyama plays 65-plus games, he's the most disruptive rim protector in the league and a legitimate threat to win his first DPOY. Verdict: Buy — contingent on games played.
3. Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves) — the resume
Gobert has won DPOY four times — 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024 — more than any other active player. Minnesota's defense still funnels everything toward the rim where he waits, and voters know exactly what a vintage Gobert season looks like on tape.
The knock is familiarity fatigue: voters sometimes look for a new name once a player has already won multiple times. Gobert's contract sits among the highest-paid NBA players this season, and Minnesota is paying for exactly this kind of defensive floor. Verdict: Hold.
4. Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) — the wildcard
Green won DPOY back in 2017 and has spent every season since arguing he deserves another. He still generates more defensive value through communication and scheme disruption than raw block or steal totals suggest, and Golden State's defense noticeably tightens when he's directing traffic.
The debate over where Green ranks among the game's smartest defenders often surfaces in all-time defensive greats debates, and that reputation still carries weight in a media vote. Age and workload management cap his ceiling in 2026. Verdict: Wait.
5. Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies) — the safe pick
Jackson won DPOY in 2023 and remains one of the league's most versatile defensive bigs — capable of switching onto guards on the perimeter and still contesting shots at the rim on the next possession. Memphis leans on him as the singular anchor of a defense that's been inconsistent everywhere else.
His foul trouble has historically limited his minutes in close games, which hurts his counting stats relative to a Gobert or a Mobley. Verdict: Hold.
6. Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat) — the anchor
Adebayo has never won DPOY but has landed on All-Defensive First or Second Team in most of his healthy seasons. Miami's entire defensive scheme is built on his ability to guard centers and point guards on back-to-back possessions without a switch.
He's a perennial finalist-tier name without ever climbing to the top of the ballot, and 2026 looks like more of the same unless Miami's defensive rating jumps into the league's top five. Verdict: Skip for the trophy, buy for All-Defensive honors.
7. Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets) — the riser
Thompson is the name climbing fastest in 2026. His combination of length, speed, and ball pressure at the point of attack gives Houston a perimeter disruptor that most contenders simply don't have. If the Rockets' defensive rating stays inside the league's top five through the All-Star break, Thompson becomes a real dark-horse name on ballots.
He's short on the traditional voter history that helps Gobert or Green, but the tape has been loud enough to get him mentioned in the same breath as established winners. Verdict: Wait and track.
“DPOY voters rarely strip the crown from a healthy incumbent — Evan Mobley’s floor is a Top-3 finish even in a down stretch.”
Comparison table
| Candidate | Team | DPOY History | Defensive Role | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan Mobley | Cleveland Cavaliers | Won 2024-25 | Rim protector, switch defender | Buy |
| Victor Wembanyama | San Antonio Spurs | None yet | Elite rim protector | Buy (health-dependent) |
| Rudy Gobert | Minnesota Timberwolves | Won 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024 | Rim anchor | Hold |
| Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | Won 2017 | Scheme disruptor, communicator | Wait |
| Jaren Jackson Jr. | Memphis Grizzlies | Won 2023 | Versatile big, switch defender | Hold |
| Bam Adebayo | Miami Heat | None | Positionless anchor | Skip for trophy |
| Amen Thompson | Houston Rockets | None | Perimeter disruptor | Wait and track |
Where to watch the race play out
- Track team defensive rating weekly, not just individual box scores — voters weigh team-level impact heavily, and rating swings faster than reputations change.
- Watch health status closer than highlight reels. Wembanyama's candidacy lives or dies on games played, not per-game dominance.
- If you're following the market for betting purposes, DPOY futures move with every hot streak — check current DPOY prop bets markets before locking in a season-long pick.
Track every DPOY market shift
Follow SportsOrca’s NBA coverage for weekly award-race updates.
FAQ
Who is the favorite for NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2026?
Evan Mobley enters 2026 as the favorite after winning the award for the 2024-25 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. His two-way versatility and Cleveland’s top-tier defensive rating keep him at the front of the field.
Is Victor Wembanyama a real DPOY threat in 2026?
Yes, if he stays healthy. Wembanyama missed the second half of the 2024-25 season with a blood clot, and his availability through 2026 is the single biggest variable in his candidacy.
How many times has Rudy Gobert won Defensive Player of the Year?
Rudy Gobert has won DPOY four times — in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024 — more than any other active NBA player. He remains a top-five candidate with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2026.
Does Draymond Green still contend for DPOY?
Draymond Green won the award in 2017 and still factors into the conversation because of his defensive communication and scheme impact for the Golden State Warriors, though his current ceiling is lower than the true 2026 front-runners.
What team has the best defense heading into the 2026 DPOY race?
Cleveland, San Antonio, and Houston have all posted top-five defensive ratings for stretches of the 2025-26 season, which directly boosts the candidacies of Evan Mobley, Victor Wembanyama, and Amen Thompson.
Is Amen Thompson a legitimate DPOY candidate?
Amen Thompson is a dark-horse candidate in 2026 due to his perimeter disruption for the Houston Rockets, though he lacks the voter history that helps established winners like Gobert or Jaren Jackson Jr.
Has Jaren Jackson Jr. won DPOY before?
Jaren Jackson Jr. won Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 with the Memphis Grizzlies and remains a versatile candidate in 2026, capable of guarding multiple positions in a single possession.
Why hasn’t Bam Adebayo won DPOY yet?
Bam Adebayo has landed on All-Defensive teams for multiple seasons with the Miami Heat but has never claimed the DPOY trophy outright, largely because Miami’s overall defensive rating hasn’t consistently ranked among the league’s top tier.
One last thing
The last time a rookie-contract big man this dominant missed half a season and came back healthy, he didn't just contend for DPOY — he won it within two years. Watch Victor Wembanyama's minutes restriction closely in 2026; if San Antonio lifts it by the All-Star break, he becomes the pick to beat, not just the ceiling pick.
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