10 Best Defensive Duos In The NBA, Ranked

This summer, the Thompson twins made a ridiculous amount of money. Amen got a five-year, $208.0 million extension from the Rockets, while Ausar just landed five years and $155.0 million from the Pistons, meaning the two brothers secured $363.0 million combined in the same offseason.

Houston also paid Tari Eason five years and $81.5 million, and none of those contracts are really built around guys averaging 30 points a night. A huge part of their value comes from how much they can destroy the other team’s offense.

That made me wonder how valuable elite defense has become in the NBA, because every serious contender is looking for the same thing now: guys who can survive switches, bother stars at the point of attack, create turnovers, and still have somebody behind them protecting the rim. One elite defender helps, but having two changes what a coach can actually do with a scheme.

So after already looking at the NBA’s best offensive duos here at Fadeaway, it’s time to go the other way. These are my 10 best defensive duos entering 2026-27, using last season’s production, advanced metrics, lineup impact, versatility, playoff translation, and, yeah, a little bit of projection for the new combinations we haven’t seen together yet.

10. Kawhi Leonard And Scottie Barnes

Putting Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes all the way down at No. 10 sounds a little disrespectful when you look at the names, but this ranking is about what I expect in 2026-27, not what Kawhi was eight years ago. Leonard can still defend at a very high level when he decides a possession matters, but at 35 years old, Toronto simply isn’t going to ask him to chase the best wing for 35 minutes every night anymore.

And honestly, the numbers say he’s still ridiculously smart defensively. Leonard had 122 steals and 27 blocks last season while committing only 78 fouls, giving him a 1.91 steals-plus-blocks-to-foul ratio, the best mark in the entire NBA among players with at least 500 minutes. That’s such a Kawhi stat because he’s not flying around gambling for everything, he just knows exactly when to reach, when to dig, and when somebody has exposed the ball.

Scottie is the one doing more of the heavy lifting now. He made the All-Defensive Second Team after averaging 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks, and he was literally the only NBA player with at least 100 steals and 100 blocks. His 230 total stocks ranked second in the league behind only Victor Wembanyama, which is insane for a 6-foot-7 forward spending plenty of possessions away from the rim.

That’s why this combination is still scary. Barnes can take the highest-energy assignment, Leonard can move onto different wings and conserve himself, and both are strong enough that Toronto can switch actions without instantly creating a mismatch. The Raptors already had a top-five regular-season defense before Leonard arrived, so adding his hands and IQ should only make that harder to attack. If this were 2019 Kawhi, they’re probably top three. In 2026, I just need to see how often that defensive version actually shows up.

9. OG Anunoby And Mikal Bridges

The Knicks just won a championship with OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges taking basically every annoying perimeter assignment possible, so putting them ninth has nothing to do with questioning whether this works. It clearly does.

What I like here is how little help they need. Anunoby averaged 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks last season, made the All-Defensive Second Team, and can realistically guard anything from a quick two guard to a power forward without New York changing its coverage. Bridges added another 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks while playing all 82 games, meaning the two combined for 211 steals and 110 blocks during the regular season.

That’s a ton of chaos for two wings who aren’t just gambling either. OG can body bigger creators and completely kill their first action, while Bridges is much better chasing around screens and using those stupidly long arms from behind. The Knicks can basically look at an opposing lineup and decide which two guys they don’t want feeling comfortable that night.

The playoff results matter too. Through the first two rounds of their title run, New York had a 104.8 defensive rating, second-best among the remaining playoff teams, and that group eventually finished the postseason with the largest point differential in league history. Defense obviously wasn’t all Anunoby and Bridges, but they were the guys allowing the Knicks to keep Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns from wasting energy on defense.

I have them below the next seven because neither is giving you elite rim protection, so there are limits to how much two perimeter defenders can do by themselves. But if the question is which wing duo I’d least want my two best scorers seeing for seven games, OG and Mikal are right near the top.

8. Walker Kessler And Matisse Thybulle

This is easily the biggest projection on the list because Walker Kessler and Matisse Thybulle haven’t played a single NBA minute together yet, but I love what the Lakers built here defensively.

Kessler’s 2025-26 sample was only five games before a shoulder injury basically erased his season, so using last year’s 1.8 blocks per game by itself would be stupid. Go back one season, and he averaged 2.4 blocks in 30.0 minutes over 58 games, and through four years he’s already established himself as one of those centers who changes decisions before the shot even happens. Guards see him waiting at the rim and start taking floaters they probably didn’t want in the first place.

Then you put Thybulle in front of him, who put up 2.0 steals in only 16.0 minutes last season. Not per 36, literally 2.0 steals per game while barely playing one-third of the game. He had multiple steals in 18 of his 30 appearances and recorded at least one steal and one block nine different times, which is absurd for such a small role. He’s also a two-time All-Defensive Second Team selection.

There are obvious questions. Kessler has to prove the shoulder is fine, and Thybulle has to play enough offense to stay on the court next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. But purely defensively, I don’t think many teams can replicate that combination of perimeter disruption and rim protection.

7. Evan Mobley And Jarrett Allen

Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are almost the opposite of Kessler and Thybulle because we’ve already watched this work for years. There isn’t much projection here, the Cavaliers know exactly what these two give them.

Mobley is the real defensive star. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 2024-25 because he’s one of the rare centers who can protect the rim, switch onto wings and guards, hedge high in pick-and-roll, and recover without the whole thing falling apart. Allen lets Cleveland use all of that versatility because Mobley doesn’t have to spend every possession wrestling with the opposing center.

Their 2025-26 numbers weren’t as dominant as the year before, but the partnership still worked. Mobley had a 112.0 individual defensive rating in the 41 games he played alongside Allen, while averaging 1.7 blocks in those games, and Allen was at 111.2 with Mobley on the floor.

The playoff rim protection was even more ridiculous. Mobley finished Cleveland’s postseason with 32 blocks, Allen had 31, so that’s 63 combined blocks during one playoff run. Allen recorded at least one block in 15 straight postseason games, while Mobley had multiple blocks in nine consecutive games at one point.

What keeps them at seven is that playing two traditional-sized frontcourt players together can still create some matchup questions against extreme spacing, especially if teams pull Allen away from the basket. Mobley can cover an insane amount, but even he can’t erase everything.

6. Rudy Gobert And Jaden McDaniels

At some point we’re probably going to stop acting surprised that Rudy Gobert is still an elite defender, but apparently we’re not there yet. He made the All-Defensive First Team again last season at 33 years old, and the advanced numbers still loved him. His defensive impact was +3.6 points per 100 possessions in EPM, placing him in the 99th percentile defensively. That’s after four Defensive Player of the Year awards and more than a decade of teams trying to figure out ways to drag him away from the rim.

What makes the Timberwolves pairing work is Jaden McDaniels doing almost the exact opposite job. Gobert wants to swat everything behind the play, while McDaniels lives at the point of attack, picking up the best wing or guard and using his 6-foot-9 frame to make simple passes and pull-ups way more annoying than they should be.

McDaniels averaged 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks in the games he shared with Gobert last season, and we’ve already seen the higher-level jump with his 2024 All-Defensive Second Team selection. He can chase smaller guards, switch up onto bigger wings, and funnel drives toward Gobert, which is basically the perfect setup for Minnesota’s defense.

They aren’t fifth because Gobert is getting older and there are more switchable duos above them, but I still trust this combination a lot in the regular season. You have one guy trying to ruin the play before the screen and another waiting to wreck it in the paint.

5. Amen Thompson And Tari Eason

This one is definitely the most annoying duo on the whole list if you watched them on defense last season. Amen Thompson and Tari Eason don’t defend like a traditional wing partnership, and that’s where the “Terror Twins” nickname comes from. They just create chaos everywhere as long, athletic, physical defenders, comfortable switching and completely fine turning a normal play into 12 seconds of deflections, offensive resets, and somebody eventually throwing the ball into the crowd.

Thompson already made the All-Defensive First Team in 2024-25, and last season he still averaged 1.5 steals while starting all 79 games and leading the league in total minutes. The Rockets basically treated him like a star stopper who also happened to give them 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on the other end.

Eason is the perfect second guy because he doesn’t need the glamorous matchup to destroy attackers. He averaged 1.2 steals in only 25.8 minutes, generated 2.4 deflections per game, and posted a 109.6 defensive rating, all while constantly crashing into passing lanes and loose-ball situations. Houston clearly values that, because $81.5 million for a player who averaged 10.5 points tells you exactly what the organization thinks about his impact.

The scary part is the switchability. Thompson is 6-foot-7, Eason is around 6-foot-8, and neither gets completely uncomfortable when guards or bigger forwards try to go at them. You can switch 1 through 4, blitz, trap, play passing lanes, and recover because both cover stupid amounts of space.

4. Cason Wallace And Chet Holmgren

This is probably the easiest duo to evaluate with pure numbers because the Thunder’s defense was ridiculous last season and these two were right in the middle of everything. OKC finished 64-18 with a 106.5 defensive rating, No. 1 in the NBA, while also leading the league in opponent field-goal percentage at 43.7%, deflections at 20.7 per game, and points off turnovers at 22.0. They forced 16.7 turnovers per game, second in the league. That’s not one defender carrying everything, that’s an entire machine, but Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren were two of its biggest pieces.

Wallace is the pressure guy. He finished with an NBA-leading 150 steals and also led the league at 4.4 deflections per game, all while playing just 26.6 minutes. His defensive EPM sat at +3.0, 99th percentile, which makes sense when you watch him because he almost never gets caught on a screen and his hands are everywhere without constantly gambling out of position.

Holmgren handles the back line with 1.9 blocks in only 28.9 minutes, made the All-Defensive First Team, and held opponents to 44.9% on contested two-point shots, the best mark among players who challenged at least 400 of them. His defensive EPM was also in the 99th percentile, making this duo one of the most decorated over the last season.

3. Victor Wembanyama And Stephon Castle

Victor Wembanyama is so ridiculous defensively that almost any good perimeter defender next to him would make this list, but Stephon Castle is way more than just “the other guy.”

Let’s start with Wemby because the numbers are insane. He became the youngest Defensive Player of the Year ever and the first unanimous winner since the award was created, led the NBA with 3.0 blocks per game for the third straight season, and finished with 197 total blocks. Opponents shot only 40.7% against him overall, he contested 9.3 shots per game, and the Spurs allowed 10.1 fewer points per 100 when he was on the floor. His defensive EPM sat at +4.4, literally the 100th percentile and No. 1 in the league, so yeah, good luck.

Castle makes it worse because San Antonio can put a 6-foot-6, 215-pound guard on the primary ball-handler before that guy even gets anywhere near Wembanyama. He’s physical enough to fight over screens, big enough to switch onto wings, and aggressive enough to push opponents toward areas where Wemby is already waiting.

And we saw that translate deep into the playoffs: Castle averaged 1.3 steals per game in the Western Conference Finals while Wembanyama was at 2.7 blocks and 1.4 steals, and the Spurs made it all the way to the Finals with this young defensive structure already functioning at a championship level. The Spurs finished third in defensive rating last season, and Wembanyama is only 22 while Castle is 21. That’s the crazy part.

2. Dyson Daniels And Lu Dort

Imagine somehow getting through Dyson Daniels, only to then realize that Lu Dort is the second defender waiting for your other perimeter scorer. That’s basically what the Hawks created this summer.

Daniels was already one of the best perimeter defenders in the league before Dort arrived. Last season he averaged 1.9 steals, finished second in the NBA with 143 total steals, ranked third with 303 deflections, and third again at 4.2 deflections per game. After the All-Star break, his individual defensive rating was 103.1, second-best among players averaging at least 30 minutes.

And this was actually a slight statistical step down from the year before, when Daniels made All-Defensive First Team and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Then Atlanta added Dort, who made All-Defensive First Team in 2024-25 and has spent years taking the kind of assignments most players don’t want. Bigger guards, quick point guards, strong wings, doesn’t really matter, Dort is built like a linebacker and plays every screen like somebody personally insulted him.

This is why I have them over Wemby and Castle, at least for now. Atlanta can legitimately put one elite defender on the opponent’s No. 1 perimeter creator and another on No. 2 without any weak link at all. Most teams spend years trying to find one guy like that, and the Hawks have two, as both are still young enough to do it every night.

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo And Bam Adebayo

I don’t really see how I can put anybody else first before we watch this fail. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo together give the Heat two defenders who can protect the rim, switch actions, rebound, rotate from the weak side, and cover completely different roles depending on the task. There isn’t really a matchup where one of them can’t thrive defensively.

Bam made the All-Defensive Second Team last season, giving him six All-Defensive selections in his career, and he still averaged 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks while handling the hardest frontcourt stars every night. The box-score numbers have never really explained his value anyway, because his best skill is being able to switch onto a guard 25 feet from the rim without Miami immediately needing to send help.

Now put Giannis behind that, who, even in an injury-shortened 36-game season, still graded at +1.6 defensively in EPM, good for the 93rd percentile, while averaging 9.8 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks in only 28.9 minutes. He’s also a former Defensive Player of the Year who spent most of his best defensive seasons doing exactly what Miami can let him do now: roam off weaker shooters, erase mistakes, and attack the glass.

That’s the part I love most. The Heat don’t need Giannis guarding the opposing star for 40 minutes because Bam can handle so many of those actions. They don’t need Bam sitting under the rim every possession because Giannis can protect the back line like crazy.

Miami traded a huge package to get Giannis, but defensively this might be the best fit imaginable. Bam handles the other frontcourt star, Giannis destroys whatever happens behind him, and Erik Spoelstra gets to spend the entire season inventing weird coverages with two of the most versatile defenders of this generation.