Mat Issa (@matissa15), basketball writer for Forbes, Basketball Insider, Opta Analyst, and Fansided, returns to rank NBA Defenses 1-30 heading into the 2024-2025 season. As with every year, rankings are based on projected defensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions).

Enjoy!

We had different rankings and jumped around a bit, so the order of discussion below is not necessarily a strict 1-30 order. We clear it up as we go.

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(7:40) Thunder/Wolves/Magic/Celts
(28:30) Grizzlies
(36:50) Cavs/Knicks/Heat
(46:45) Spurs/Mavs/Rockets
(1:01:00) Lakers/Nuggets/Warriors/Sixers/Bucks
(1:17:35) Kings/Clippers/Suns/Hawks/Suns/Pacers
(1:30:20) Pistons/Blazers/Raptors/Hornets and rest