Predicting the NBA's Best Defenses Ahead of 2022-23 Season (2024)

After previewing which teams project to have the best offenses in 2022-23, it's time to jump to the defensive side.

Last season, the league's best defenses were owned by the two teams that reached the NBA Finals (Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors), with the Phoenix Suns (owners of the league's best record) coming in third.

With the league reaching unprecedented levels of offensive efficiency, defense matters more than ever.

Based on last year's rankings, offseason additions, internal growth and players returning from injuries, these five teams should be the NBA's best at stopping opponents this season.

The Raptors finished in the top 10 in total defense last year and only got better as the season went along. In 25 games following the All-Star break, Toronto jumped all the way to fifth overall in the NBA.

Projecting the Raptors to be in the top five all season is a vote of confidence in second-year guard/forward Scottie Barnes and the overall length this team possesses.

A core of Barnes, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Otto Porter Jr., Thaddeus Young, Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher are all switchable defenders that stand between 6'7" and 6'9". And depth point guard Dalano Banton is 6'7", giving this roster some elite size overall.

Even "smaller" guards like Fred VanVleet and 6'5" Gary Trent Jr. played well defensively last season. VanVleet is a pest who's finished fourth, third and sixth in steals per game the past three seasons, while Trent was third with 1.7 swipes per game last season while playing the best on-ball defense of his career.

The Raptors also selected 7'1" center Christian Koloko with the 33rd overall pick, giving them a rim-protecting presence after he averaged 2.8 blocks per game at Arizona last season.

Toronto showed signs of being an elite defense last year. With the development of a potential future Defensive Player of the Year in Barnes and a roster that could utilize some of the tallest and longest lineups in the NBA, the Raptors should sneak into the top five in 2022-23.

Cleveland made a surprising jump toward the top of the defensive rankings a season ago, a rise that should stick given how talented this frontcourt is.

Lineups that featured both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen last season had a defensive rating of 105.7 (94th percentile). This speaks to their ability to defend both in the paint and on the perimeter and should help ease any questions about Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell's ability to stop people.

Allen was one of the league's premier rim protectors, as opponents made just 50.9 percent of their attempts against him at the basket. Only Rudy Gobert and Jaren Jackson Jr. were better among players who faced 350 such shots or more. Mobley, who looked noticeably stronger at media day, is athletic enough to guard all five positions and could even see some time at small forward in three-big lineups.

Cleveland can also use Isaac Okoro or Dean Wade at small forward, giving them two good options to plug in next to the best defensive frontcourt in the NBA.

Okoro is a 6'5", 225-pound muscular wing who can switch easily between multiple positions. Wade is the taller option at 6'9", and lineups featuring Wade, Mobley and Allen had a stingy defensive rating of 102.8, ranking in the 98th percentile overall. After having so much defensive success with Lauri Markkanen at the 3 last year in super-sized lineups, Wade brings nearly the same skill set to the position.

"I can play defense," Mitchell said following Day 1 of training camp. "I know that for a fact and I haven't shown that....this is a top-five defense. I'm not here to bring that down to six, seven, eight, nine. We're here to go five, four, three, two or one."

If Mitchell can at least get back to the defensive level he had earlier in his career now that he doesn't have to do so much on offense, this will be one of the elite defenses in the NBA.

The Celtics had the league's top defensive unit a year ago yet falls a bit in these rankings given that starting center Robert Williams III is expected to miss the first few months of the season following knee surgery.

Boston had a defensive rating of 104.4 (96th percentile) when Williams was on the floor last season, a number that jumped to 109.2 (77th percentile) when he sat. The Celtics will need to rely heavily on 36-year-old Al Horford in the early going, as well as Grant Williams and Luke Kornet.

Still, Boston has the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Smart and a number of other talented defenders like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon.

This was an elite perimeter defense last season, and that shouldn't change now. The Celtics held opponents to 1.5 percent below their average three-point shooting percentage (33.9 percent), the best mark in the NBA.

Assuming Williams can return to the floor sometime in January, Boston could have the NBA's best defense for the second half of the season and going into the playoffs.

Williams' absence will hurt this team in the early going, however, especially because the Celtics needed another big man even before his injury.

The Clippers were without two-time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard last season, had four-time All-Defensive team member Paul George for just 31 total contests and somehow still finished with the eighth-best defense in the NBA.

With Leonard and George both healthy to begin the year, it's safe to say these Clippers will be pretty good on both ends of the ball.

During the 2020-21 season, lineups that featured both Leonard and George had a defensive rating of 106.3, ranking in the 94th percentile overall. Since that time, the Clippers have added some plus defenders in Robert Covington and Norman Powell while re-signing Nicolas Batum and extending starting center Ivica Zubac.

Head coach Tyronn Lue can unleash some devastating lineups full of switchable wings. He said that the team could even play George at point guard at times, per Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points.

The versatility that this roster presents by being able to go big with a Zubac/Marcus Morris Sr. frontcourt or using someone like Covington or Batum at center with Leonard and George defending the perimeter gives Lue lots of options that he can use to attack each opponent differently.

This team was built around elite wing defenders and now has the depth to become the best defensive unit in the NBA.

After finishing just below the Celtics for the defensive crown last season, there's no reason why the defending champions can't take the top spot in 2022-23.

Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins give this starting five two strong, versatile stoppers who can fly around and kill opponents' offensive possessions either by denying dribble penetration or shutting off passing lanes. Golden State had a defensive rating of 103.8 (97th percentile) when both were on the floor together last season.

Green and Wiggins can also become unrestricted free agents next summer, so there's plenty of motivation to be at their defensive bests.

Klay Thompson beginning the season healthy is huge, as he was one of the NBA's best defenders at the shooting guard position before his ACL and Achilles injuries. The Warriors were far worse defensively last season when Thompson was on the floor (opponents scored 2.6 more points per 100 possessions), but that was to be expected after missing two-and-a-half years. The 32-year-old may not get back to his pre-injury defensive levels, but Thompson should be better than last season.

Kevon Looney and James Wiseman give the center position some elite defensive upside, while players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, JaMychal Green and Donte DiVincenzo could all be plus defenders as well.

This unit has a ton of experience together, is well-coached and knows the importance of defending when trying to win a championship. With good health, the Warriors will be the NBA's best defensive team this season.