WNBA: Can Napheesa Collier repeat as the Defensive Player of the Year?

While offense gets all the attention, defense is equally important to basketball success.

The WNBA annually recognizes the league’s best defender with the Defensive Player of the Year Award. With the league entering the All-Star break, let’s look at which players are early contenders for this achievement.

Napheesa Collier won the DPOY award last season and has remained elite this season. She is the Minnesota Lynx’s defensive leader and is averaging 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. Collier also is fourth in the WNBA in both categories.

Now, fatigue might, unfortunately, be a factor for voters—but it shouldn’t be. Collier is one of the best defensive bigs in the WNBA, and this year’s performance shouldn’t be penalized just because she’s done it before.

Alanna Smith (Minnesota Lynx)

While Collier is phenomenal, she might not even be the best defender on her own team. Alanna Smith is having a tremendous season for Minnesota. She’s averaging 2.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

Smith is often assigned to defend the opposing team’s best frontcourt players, and she’s consistently winning those battles. Collier is clearly the most skilled player on the Lynx, but when it comes to getting a stop and protecting the paint, Smith is in a league of her own. This might be the season where Smith’s quality will finally be fully appreciated.

Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm)

Gabby Williams is one of the most versatile defenders in the WNBA. She has the speed to play on the perimeter, along with the strength to take on some frontcourt players.

With 2.4 steals per game, she is far and away the best swiper in the league. Her 1.5 defensive win shares rank fourth in the WNBA. Thanks to Williams’ progression as a player and defender, the Storm are a top-four team in the league. The impact she makes defensively needs to be acknowledged, and she has an early case for DPOY.

A few more names to watch

As we’re only halfway through the season, there are plenty of other candidates to keep an eye on for DPOY.

The Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson is always elite, and she will undoubtedly make an All-Defensive Team, at a minimum, this season. Young players, such as Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky, can be in the running if they continue to improve their defensive play. There are also the New York Liberty defenders to consider. Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich are both big reasons why New York has a great chance of repeating as champions.

We’ll see how the defensive candidates evolve and which dark horses could emerge as front runners once the All-Star festivities conclude and we enter the second half of the WNBA season.