WNBA: Will A’ja Wilson be Defensive Player of the Year again?

Defense wins championships. It’s an adage as old as time, but it’s a saying for a reason: it’s true.

When the game reaches its highest levels and things tighten up, excellent defense that suffocates your opponent and prevents them from their usual production likely will be the difference between winning or losing. This also holds true in the regular season, as the list of the best teams in terms of defensive rating and the order of the WNBA standings looks nearly identical.

In the last two seasons, the Las Vegas Aces have been the best team in the W. Their best player, A’Ja Wilson, was named the Defensive Player of the Year for both years. She still has that dominant defense, but other candidates are making a case for the award in 2024. Here are the top DPOY candidates at the halfway mark of the season:

A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)

Sure, there may be voter fatigue, but if you watch her play, she’s the best defender on the floor every night.

A’ja Wilson leads the league in total blocks with 57, but it’s not just her rejections that stand out; it’s her tenacity. She plays with power and can defend in the post against even the strongest bigs in the league. You’ll have to search for hours to find tape of a player backing her down and creating space for a good look at the basket. Wilson also is versatile enough to hang out around the perimeter and keep up with the fastest guards in the league. She’s not a liability, even when the opposing offense might force the Aces to switch. Every drive to the paint becomes a game of “find Wilson,” with the goal being to avoid a face-to-face confrontation with her at the rim.

When you add up the tangibles and intangibles, the only logical conclusion is that Wilson will be the DPOY in 2024, just like she was in ‘22 and ‘23.

Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx)

Napheesa Collier has improved in every way this year, and given her elite level, the Lynx have a legitimate shot at the title. While she’s known for her ability force to overwhelm opponents on the offensive end, she’s right there as well defensively.

Collier is registering 2.2 steals per game, the third-best average in the WNBA, and 1.5 rejections, the ninth-best average in the league.

Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty)

This Liberty team could win it all and Breanna Stewart is a big reason why.

She’s continuously improved on the defensive end, averaging 7.4 defensive rebounds per game and, when she is on the court, New York has a 95.5 defensive rating. With her taking on so many of the defensive assignments on the wing and crashing the boards at such a high level, she’s making a case as the best defender in the league.