best defensive rating each year

Ben Wallace has the best defensive rating in a season, with an 87.5 rating in 2003-04.

Interpreted as:
best defensive rating with a minimum of 2000 minutes played per 82 team games by a player each year
NAMEDRTGSEASONTMGPMPGPPGRPGAPGSPGBPGFGMFGAFG%3PM3PA3P%FTMFTAFT%TS%OREBDREBTPGMINPTSREBASTSTLBLKTOVPF+/-
1Ben Wallace
B. Wallace
87.5
2003-04
81
37.7
9.5
12.4
1.7
1.8
3.0
3.9
9.2
42.1
0.0
0.1
12.5
1.8
3.6
49.0
44.1
4.0
8.4
1.5
3,050
773
1,006
138
143
246
123
162
+437
2Elvin Hayes
E. Hayes
87.7
1974-75
82
42.3
23.0
12.2
2.5
1.9
2.3
9.0
20.3
44.3
5.0
6.5
76.6
49.6
2.7
9.5
3,465
1,887
1,004
206
158
187
238
3David Robinson
D. Robinson
88.0
1998-99
49
31.7
15.8
10.0
2.1
1.4
2.4
5.5
10.8
50.9
0.0
0.0
0.0
4.9
7.4
65.8
56.4
3.0
7.0
2.2
1,554
775
492
103
69
119
108
143
+331
4Bob Lanier
B. Lanier
88.0
1973-74
81
37.6
22.5
13.3
4.2
1.4
3.0
9.2
18.3
50.4
4.0
5.0
79.7
54.8
3.3
9.9
3,047
1,822
1,074
343
110
247
273
5Wes Unseld
W. Unseld
88.4
1974-75
73
39.8
9.2
14.8
4.1
1.6
0.9
3.7
7.5
50.2
1.7
2.5
68.5
53.8
4.4
10.4
2,904
672
1,077
297
115
68
180
6Tim Duncan
T. Duncan
88.5
2003-04
69
36.6
22.3
12.4
3.1
0.9
2.7
8.6
17.1
50.1
0.0
0.2
16.7
5.1
8.5
59.9
53.4
3.3
9.2
2.7
2,527
1,538
859
213
62
185
183
164
+543
7Elvin Hayes
E. Hayes
88.7
1973-74
81
44.5
21.4
18.1
2.0
1.1
3.0
8.5
20.1
42.3
4.4
6.1
72.1
47.0
4.4
13.7
3,602
1,735
1,463
163
86
240
252
8Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
K. Abdul-Jabbar
88.8
1973-74
81
43.8
27.0
14.5
4.8
1.4
3.5
11.7
21.7
53.9
3.6
5.2
70.2
56.4
3.5
11.0
3,548
2,191
1,178
386
112
283
238
9Clifford Ray
C. Ray
89.3
1973-74
80
32.9
9.3
12.2
3.1
0.7
2.2
3.9
7.7
51.1
1.5
2.5
60.8
53.4
3.6
8.7
2,632
747
977
246
58
173
281
10Bobby Jones
B. Jones
89.9
1976-77
82
29.5
15.1
8.3
3.2
2.3
2.0
6.1
10.7
57.0
2.9
4.0
71.7
60.5
2.1
6.1
2,419
1,238
678
264
186
162
238
11Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
K. Abdul-Jabbar
90.0
1975-76
82
41.2
27.7
16.9
5.0
1.5
4.1
11.1
21.1
52.9
5.5
7.8
70.3
56.7
3.3
13.5
3,379
2,275
1,383
413
119
338
292
12Ben Wallace
B. Wallace
90.0
2002-03
73
39.4
6.9
15.4
1.6
1.4
3.2
2.9
6.0
48.1
0.0
0.1
16.7
1.2
2.6
45.0
48.6
4.0
11.4
1.2
2,873
506
1,126
120
104
230
88
179
+222
13Dave Cowens
D. Cowens
90.4
1973-74
80
41.9
19.0
15.7
4.4
1.2
1.3
8.1
18.4
43.7
2.9
3.4
83.2
47.6
3.3
12.4
3,352
1,518
1,257
354
95
101
294
14Nate Thurmond
N. Thurmond
90.5
1974-75
80
34.5
7.9
11.3
4.1
0.6
2.4
3.1
8.6
36.4
1.7
2.8
58.9
40.3
3.2
8.1
2,756
632
904
328
46
195
271
15Marcus Camby
M. Camby
90.5
2000-01
63
33.8
12.0
11.5
0.8
1.0
2.2
4.8
9.2
52.4
0.0
0.1
12.5
2.4
3.6
66.7
55.9
3.1
8.4
1.0
2,127
759
723
52
66
136
63
205
+67
16Dave Cowens
D. Cowens
90.7
1974-75
65
40.5
20.4
14.7
4.6
1.3
1.1
8.8
18.4
47.5
2.9
3.8
78.3
50.9
3.5
11.2
2,632
1,329
958
296
87
73
243
17Curtis Perry
C. Perry
91.0
1973-74
81
29.5
9.0
8.7
2.3
1.3
1.2
4.0
9.0
44.6
1.0
1.7
58.2
46.2
3.0
5.7
2,386
728
703
183
104
97
301
18Elvin Hayes
E. Hayes
91.1
1975-76
80
37.2
19.8
11.0
1.5
1.3
2.5
8.1
17.3
47.0
3.6
5.7
62.8
50.1
2.6
8.4
2,975
1,585
878
121
104
202
293
19Patrick Ewing
P. Ewing
91.2
1998-99
38
34.2
17.3
9.9
1.1
0.8
2.6
6.5
14.9
43.5
0.0
0.1
0.0
4.3
6.1
70.6
49.1
1.9
8.0
2.6
1,300
657
377
43
30
100
99
105
+47
20Bill Walton
B. Walton
91.3
1976-77
65
34.8
18.6
14.4
3.8
1.0
3.2
7.6
14.3
52.8
3.5
5.0
69.7
56.3
3.2
11.1
2,264
1,210
934
245
66
211
174
21Sam Lacey
S. Lacey
91.5
1974-75
81
41.7
11.5
14.2
5.3
1.7
2.1
4.8
11.3
42.7
1.8
2.4
75.4
46.4
2.8
11.4
3,378
928
1,149
428
139
168
274
22Kevin Garnett
K. Garnett
91.5
2003-04
82
39.4
24.2
13.9
5.0
1.5
2.2
9.8
19.6
49.9
0.1
0.5
25.6
4.5
5.7
79.1
54.7
3.0
10.9
2.6
3,231
1,987
1,139
409
120
178
212
202
+614
23Tim Duncan
T. Duncan
91.5
1998-99
50
39.3
21.7
11.4
2.4
0.9
2.5
8.4
16.9
49.5
0.0
0.1
14.3
4.9
7.2
69.0
54.1
3.2
8.2
2.9
1,963
1,084
571
121
45
126
146
147
+371
24Elmore Smith
E. Smith
91.6
1973-74
81
36.1
12.5
11.2
1.9
0.9
4.9
5.4
11.7
45.7
1.8
3.1
59.0
47.9
2.5
8.7
2,922
1,015
906
150
71
393
309
25Jerry Sloan
J. Sloan
91.6
1974-75
78
33.0
12.2
6.9
2.1
2.2
0.2
4.9
11.1
43.9
2.5
3.3
74.8
48.7
2.3
4.6
2,577
953
538
161
171
17
265
StatMuse has season-level data for defensive rating going back to the 1973-74 season.

More Pistons Stats

Team Leaders

PPG

26.5

Cunningham

Cade Cunningham

RPG

11.0

Duren

Jalen Duren

APG

9.2

Cunningham

Cade Cunningham
Team Rankings

ORTG

117.0

10th

DRTG

110.3

2nd

NETRTG

6.7

5th

3P%

34.2

25th

2025-26 Conference Standings
TEAMWLPCTGB
1
Pistons Pistons
23
6
.793
2
20
8
.714
2.5
3
18
11
.621
5.0
4
16
11
.593
6.0
5
17
13
.567
6.5
Schedule
DATEMATCHUPTIME (ET)
Tue
12/23
@
10:00 PM
Fri
12/26
@
9:30 PM
Sun
12/28
@
9:00 PM
Tue
12/30
@
10:30 PM
Thu
1/1
@
7:00 PM
Last Game
DET Pistons

23 - 6

110

Final

102

Mon 22 Dec 2025

NBA 2025-26 Leaders

NBA 2025-26 Rankings

NBA Fantasy 2025-26

NBA 2025-26 Betting

NBA 2025-26 Standings

EasternWLPCTGB
1
23
6
.793
2
20
8
.714
2.5
3
18
11
.621
5.0
4
16
11
.593
6.0
5
17
13
.567
6.5
6
16
13
.552
7.0
7
16
14
.533
7.5
8
15
14
.517
8.0
9
15
15
.500
8.5
10
13
15
.464
9.5
11
11
18
.379
12.0
12
9
20
.310
14.0
13
8
19
.296
14.0
14
6
23
.207
17.0
15
5
22
.185
17.0
WesternWLPCTGB
1
26
3
.897
2
21
7
.750
4.5
3
21
7
.750
4.5
4
19
8
.704
6.0
5
19
10
.655
7.0
6
17
9
.654
7.5
7
15
13
.536
10.5
8
15
15
.500
11.5
9
13
16
.448
13.0
10
12
17
.414
14.0
11
11
19
.367
15.5
12
10
18
.357
15.5
13
8
22
.267
18.5
14
7
21
.250
18.5
15
7
22
.241
19.0

NBA 2025-26 Scores & Schedule

Scores

DATEMATCHUPSCORE
Thu
11/20
@
115-118
Thu
11/20
@
113-114
Thu
11/20
@
112-109
Thu
11/20
@
127-123
Thu
11/20
@
144-112

Schedule

DATEMATCHUPTIME (ET)
Tue
12/23
@
7:00 PM
Tue
12/23
@
7:00 PM
Tue
12/23
@
7:30 PM
Tue
12/23
@
7:30 PM
Tue
12/23
@
7:30 PM