Reggie Theus had the highest defensive rating in 1987-88, with a 115.7 rating.

Interpreted as:

highest defensive rating with a minimum of 2000 minutes played per 82 team games by a player in 1988

	NAME	DRTG	SEASON	TM	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	TS%	OREB	DREB	TPG	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF
1	Reggie Theus R. Theus	115.7	1987-88	SAC	73	36.3	21.6	3.2	6.3	0.8	0.2	8.5	18.1	47.0	0.2	0.8	27.1	4.4	5.3	83.1	52.9	1.0	2.2	3.2	2,653	1,574	232	463	59	16	234	173
2	Ben McDonald B. McDonald	115.5	1987-88	GSW	81	25.2	7.6	4.1	1.7	0.5	0.1	3.2	6.8	46.7	0.1	0.4	25.7	1.1	1.4	78.4	50.9	1.6	2.5	1.1	2,039	612	335	138	39	8	93	246
3	Johnny Dawkins J. Dawkins	115.4	1987-88	SAS	65	33.5	15.8	3.1	7.4	1.4	0.0	6.2	12.8	48.5	0.3	0.9	31.1	3.0	3.4	89.6	55.1	1.0	2.1	2.4	2,179	1,027	204	480	88	2	154	95
4	Eddie Johnson E. Johnson	114.9	1987-88	PHX	73	29.8	17.7	4.4	2.5	0.5	0.1	7.3	15.2	48.0	0.3	1.3	25.5	2.8	3.3	85.0	53.2	1.7	2.7	1.9	2,177	1,294	318	180	33	9	139	190
5	Kenny Smith K. Smith	114.4	1987-88	SAC	61	35.6	13.8	2.3	7.1	1.5	0.1	5.4	11.4	47.7	0.2	0.6	30.8	2.7	3.3	81.9	53.7	0.7	1.6	3.0	2,170	841	138	434	92	8	184	140
6	Rod Higgins R. Higgins	114.2	1987-88	GSW	68	32.2	15.5	4.3	2.8	1.0	0.5	5.6	10.7	52.6	0.3	0.6	48.7	4.0	4.7	84.8	60.8	1.4	2.9	1.6	2,188	1,054	293	188	70	31	111	188
7	Winston Garland W. Garland	113.0	1987-88	GSW	67	31.7	12.4	3.4	6.4	1.7	0.1	5.1	11.6	43.9	0.2	0.6	33.3	2.1	2.3	87.9	49.2	1.0	2.4	2.5	2,122	831	227	429	116	7	167	188
8	Frank Brickowski F. Brickowski	112.7	1987-88	SAS	70	31.8	16.0	6.9	3.8	1.1	0.5	6.1	11.5	52.8	0.0	0.1	20.0	3.8	5.0	76.8	58.4	2.4	4.5	3.0	2,227	1,119	483	266	74	36	207	275
9	Chris Mullin C. Mullin	112.6	1987-88	GSW	60	33.9	20.2	3.4	4.8	1.9	0.5	7.8	15.4	50.8	0.6	1.6	35.1	4.0	4.5	88.5	58.0	1.0	2.5	2.6	2,033	1,213	205	290	113	32	156	136
10	Randy Wittman R. Wittman	112.2	1987-88	ATL	82	29.4	10.0	2.1	3.7	0.6	0.2	4.6	9.6	47.8	0.0	0.0		0.9	1.1	79.8	49.8	0.5	1.6	1.0	2,412	823	170	302	50	18	82	117
11	Dale Ellis D. Ellis	111.9	1987-88	SEA	75	37.2	25.8	4.5	2.6	1.0	0.1	10.2	20.3	50.3	1.4	3.5	41.3	4.0	5.3	76.7	57.2	2.2	2.3	2.3	2,790	1,938	340	197	74	11	172	221
12	Jeff Hornacek J. Hornacek	111.9	1987-88	PHX	82	27.4	9.5	3.2	6.6	1.3	0.1	3.7	7.4	50.6	0.2	0.7	29.3	1.9	2.3	82.2	56.9	0.9	2.3	1.9	2,243	781	262	540	107	10	156	151
13	Jeff Malone J. Malone	111.9	1987-88	WAS	80	33.2	20.5	2.6	3.0	0.6	0.2	8.1	17.0	47.6	0.1	0.3	41.7	4.2	4.8	88.2	53.7	0.6	2.0	2.2	2,655	1,641	206	237	51	13	172	198
14	Larry Drew L. Drew	111.7	1987-88	LAC	74	27.4	10.3	1.6	5.2	0.9	0.0	4.4	9.7	45.6	0.4	1.2	28.9	1.1	1.5	76.9	49.8	0.3	1.3	2.1	2,024	765	119	383	65	0	152	114
15	Otis Thorpe O. Thorpe	111.6	1987-88	SAC	82	37.5	20.8	10.2	3.2	0.8	0.7	7.6	15.0	50.7	0.0	0.1	0.0	5.6	7.4	75.5	57.0	3.4	6.8	2.8	3,072	1,704	837	266	62	56	228	264
16	Danny Ainge D. Ainge	111.5	1987-88	BOS	81	37.3	15.7	3.1	6.2	1.4	0.2	6.0	12.1	49.1	1.8	4.4	41.5	2.0	2.2	87.8	59.8	0.7	2.3	1.9	3,018	1,270	249	503	115	17	153	203
17	Dennis Johnson D. Johnson	111.5	1987-88	BOS	77	34.7	12.6	3.1	7.8	1.2	0.4	4.6	10.4	43.8	0.2	0.6	26.1	3.3	3.9	85.6	52.0	0.8	2.3	2.5	2,670	971	240	598	93	29	195	204
18	John Bagley J. Bagley	111.4	1987-88	NJN	82	33.8	12.0	3.1	5.8	1.3	0.1	4.8	10.9	43.9	0.6	2.0	29.2	1.8	2.2	82.2	50.3	0.7	2.4	2.5	2,774	981	257	479	110	10	201	162
19	Rolando Blackman R. Blackman	111.4	1987-88	DAL	71	36.3	18.7	3.5	3.7	0.9	0.3	7.0	14.8	47.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	4.7	5.3	87.3	54.4	1.2	2.3	2.0	2,580	1,325	246	262	64	18	144	112
20	Harold Pressley H. Pressley	111.2	1987-88	SAC	80	25.4	9.7	4.6	2.3	1.1	0.7	4.0	8.8	45.3	0.5	1.4	32.7	1.3	1.6	79.2	51.0	1.7	2.9	1.7	2,029	775	369	185	84	55	135	211
21	Tim McCormick T. McCormick	111.0	1987-88	TOT	70	30.2	12.0	6.7	1.7	0.5	0.3	5.0	9.3	53.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.1	3.1	67.4	56.6	2.1	4.6	1.6	2,114	841	467	118	32	23	111	234
22	Maurice Cheeks M. Cheeks	110.3	1987-88	PHI	79	36.3	13.7	3.2	8.0	2.1	0.3	5.4	10.9	49.5	0.0	0.3	13.6	2.9	3.5	82.5	55.1	0.7	2.5	2.0	2,871	1,086	253	635	167	22	160	116
23	Mike Woodson M. Woodson	110.2	1987-88	LAC	80	31.7	18.0	2.4	3.4	1.4	0.3	7.0	15.8	44.5	0.2	1.0	23.1	3.7	4.3	86.8	50.9	0.8	1.6	2.3	2,534	1,438	190	273	109	26	186	210
24	Alex English A. English	110.1	1987-88	DEN	80	35.2	25.0	4.7	4.7	0.9	0.3	10.5	21.3	49.5	0.0	0.1	0.0	3.9	4.7	82.8	53.5	2.1	2.6	2.3	2,818	2,000	373	377	70	23	181	193
25	Bernard King B. King	110.1	1987-88	WAS	69	29.6	17.2	4.1	2.8	0.7	0.1	6.8	13.6	50.1	0.0	0.1	16.7	3.6	4.7	76.2	55.0	1.2	2.8	3.1	2,044	1,188	280	192	49	10	211	202