The WNBA announced the All-Defensive Teams on Sunday — and there weren’t a ton of surprises in the lineups. Napheesa Collier and A’ja Wilson were in a two-way battle for Defensive Player of the Year for much of the season, with Collier ultimately coming out on top, while DiJonai Carrington solidified herself as one of the top guard defenders this season.
Each of the top four defensive teams in the league was awarded with two All-Defensive players — the Connecticut Sun (ranked first) were represented by DiJonai Carrington and Alyssa Thomas, the Minnesota Lynx (ranked second) by Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith, the New York Liberty (ranked third) by Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, and the Seattle Storm (ranked fourth) by Ezi Magbegor and Nneka Ogwumike. The Las Vegas Aces (ranked fifth) was represented by two-time Defensive Player of the Year A’ja Wilson, while the Phoenix Mercury (ranked ninth) by Natasha Cloud.
Here’s the full list of players who were named to the All-WNBA team.
WNBA All-Defensive First Team:
- DiJonai Carrington (Connecticut Sun)
- Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx)
- A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
- Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm)
- Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty)
WNBA All-Defensive Second Team:
- Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun)
- Alanna Smith (Minnesota Lynx)
- Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm)
- Jonquel Jones (New York Liberty)
- Natasha Cloud (Phoenix Mercury)
Let’s take a look at the defensive numbers (and case) behind each First-Team Member.
Napheesa Collier
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Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Blocks: 1.4 blocks (6th)
Steals: 1.9 steals (4th)
Defensive Rating: 91.4 (1st)
Defensive Win Shares: 3.6 (2nd)
Napheesa Collier was named Defensive Player of the Year for a reason — she had the best defensive rating in the league, and formed a front-court duo with Alanna Smith (Second Team All-Defense) that made opponents’ lives miserable. She didn’t have quite the blocks or steals that Wilson had, but her team’s defensive rating (94.8) was significantly better than the Aces’ (99.6).
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
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Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Blocks: 2.6 (1st)
Steals: 1.8 (5th)
Defensive Rating: 92.3 (2nd)
Defensive Win Shares: 3.8 (1st)
A’ja Wilson had a strong case for her third consecutive DPOY — responsible for more blocks and defensive win-shares than any other player in the W — but the Aces defense was inconsistent, and was likely the primary reason Wilson didn’t run home with this award. Still, Wilson had a superb season on that end, and her coach, Becky Hammon, plead her case to reporters as to why she should win the award.
Ezi Magbegor, Seattle Storm
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Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Blocks: 2.2 (2nd)
Steals: 1.1 (25th)
Defensive Rating: 95.9 (7th)
Defensive Win Shares: 2.7 (8th)
Ezi Magbegor was a top shot-blocker in the WNBA, but the Storm’s defense was a step below the Sun’s, Lynx’s and Liberty’s. Magbegor also took a step back in the latter half of the season, but nonetheless solidifed herself as one of the WNBA’s top rim protectors. The Storm campaigned for her to win Defensive Player of the Year, but it’s a tough case to make with Wilson and Collier in the mix.
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
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Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Blocks: 1.3 (6th)
Steals: 1.7 (7th)
Defensive Rating: 93.6 (4th)
Defensive Win Shares: 3.4 (3rd)
Breanna Stewart is a perennial All-Defensive candidate, and possessed one of the league’s top defensive ratings once again. This season, she’s made it a point to become a better guard defender, which contributed to the Liberty’s versatility.
“I feel like this year, especially, we’re switching a lot more, which is putting me on guards and trying to make sure that I’m using my length, I’m able to block shots, I’m able to get steals,” Stewart told SB Nation. “Really just the awareness of — what is the offense trying to do, and how can I disrupt it?”
DiJonai Carrington, Connecticut Sun
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Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images
Blocks: (0.4)
Steals: 1.6 steals (9th)
Defensive Rating: 96.2 (8th)
Defensive Win Shares: 2.6 (9th)
As a guard, Carrington’s numbers don’t pop out like the rest of the players on this list. But, DiJonai Carrington was routinely asked to guard opposing team’s best players, and led the charge on Connecticut’s league-best defense.
It’s been an incredible season for Carrington, who came off the bench last year and was awarded Most Improved Player last year. Some have knocked Carrington for her offensive efficiency, but she’s managed to be a double-figure scorer while oftentimes guarding 94 feet.
“Some people can rest on defense, but obviously, I’m not someone who can do that, and I don’t want to do that — but it definitely takes a toll on you,” Carrington told SB Nation.
Taking a look at the All-Defensive Second Team
The WNBA’s All-Defensive Second Team was headlined by Alyssa Thomas, who had the Sun’s best defensive rating this season; Alanna Smith, who helped transform the Lynx’s frontcourt; Nneka Ogwumike, who was often assigned to opposing team’s best players; Jonquel Jones, who made Breanna Stewart’s defensive prowess possible by serving as a reliable rim protector; and Natasha Cloud, who wasn’t a part of an elite defense but had a tremendous individual defensive season. No real surprises there.
Who was snubbed — if anyone?
The short answer: no one, really. This was a pretty clear-cut ballot, at least according to the analytics.
To assess if there were any snubs, let’s start with who made the All-Defensive Teams in 2023 and was left off this season. Brittney Sykes (Washington Mystics) and Jordin Canada (Atlanta Dream) were both First Team defenders last season, but both dealt with a share of injuries and were part of below league-average defenses, effectively eliminating them from contention. Elizabeth Williams (Chicago Sky) was a Second Team defender last year, and also missed the majority of this season due to injury.
Then, there’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who remains one of the best wing defenders in the game but missed several weeks recovering from knee surgery. Hamilton had a case for the All-Defensive Team, but Jones and Stewart were both more impactful defenders this season. So, given the injury situations players dealt with, none of these omissions are surprising.
Only two players with Top 10 Defensive Ratings didn’t make the list: DeWanna Bonner (95.7 RTG) and Brionna Jones (96.4 RTG). Bonner’s numbers are more of a product of being a part of elite defensive lineups, while Jones has a case as the rim protector on the best defense in the league. Angel Reese had a case considering how much better Chicago’s defense was with her on the floor than off of it, but the Sky’s defensive numbers made her an unlikely candidate to land on the final ballots.
