With only two weeks until the 2023 NBA Draft kicks off, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty. While scoring the buckets is the most important part of basketball, the need to be a good defender in today’s NBA has taken on even more importance with the clever and cerebral offense every team can run with.
At the top of the draft, Victor Wimbanyama is a hot prospect at quarterback who’s wildly mismatched on offense and a terrifying terror on defense. However, outside of Wimpanyama, there are a number of centers and non-centers who are also making a noticeable impact on the defensive end even in their rookie year.
When thinking about defending, there is an important idea to keep in mind: even if a goalkeeper is a great defender, he can only have so much impact compared to an edge guard. An intimidating inner presence gives the player an overall opportunity to change the look of the game more than just being a lock perimeter defender.
That’s part of the reason Marcus Smart, Gary Payton, Kawhi Leonard, and Ron Artest have won Defensive Player of the Year awards. On other sites than The power forward or center over the past 30 seasons. While there is a large group of outside perimeter defenders in the draft class, they will not be as important as others at the NBA level.
However, they are still to be commended for their excellent talents, along with the towering stones guarding the edge. Thus, without further ado, here are the best defensemen in this draft class!