Ranking Stephon Castle amongst the NBA’s best defenders at his position

Stephon Castle’s major breakout for the Spurs last season was in large part fueled by his defense. The sophomore proved himself as a truly elite on-ball stopper, taking on the NBA’s top stars nightly and regularly giving them fits. Exactly how good is San Antonio’s star on that end, though, compared to his peers? That’s what we’re going to answer today.

This is a list of the league’s seven best defenders at the shooting guard position, with accolades, stats, and the good old eye test all used in consideration. Let’s dive in!

(Quick note: Dyson Daniels is not included here because he primarily played small forward for Atlanta in 2025-26, although he’s usually viewed as more of a guard.)

7. Kris Dunn

Dunn’s post-Chicago career revival has been powered by his defensive prowess. He’s a relentless disruptor who picks up ball handlers early in the clock and makes every dribble they take a treacherous one.

The consistency of Dunn has to be commended, as he played 74 games in 2024-25 and all 82 contests in 2025-26 for a Clippers team that has been pretty effective on defense. His lack of All-Defensive decoration undersells his impact.

6. Herb Jones

Jones isn’t a traditional two-guard, but he doesn’t neatly fit in any positional box. He’s a one-through-five switchblade on D who can harass guards at the point of attack or rotate from the helpside and send away driving foes.

Injuries and a poor infrastructure in New Orleans have held Herb back, but his All-Defensive First Team honor and top-five DPOY finish from 2023-24 underscore the unique difference he makes.

5. Stephon Castle

Castle is less established than most of his company on this list, but his presence is inarguable. He didn’t make an All-Defensive team in 2025-26 (he was just a few votes short of the Second Team), but he was pound-for-pound one of the premier clamps guys in the association.

Everyone he matched up with felt his wrath. To climb higher on this list, Castle will need to clean up his fouling and expand his off-ball and overall schematic contributions.

4. Cason Wallace

Wallace was one of OKC’s two All-Defensive reps last season, earning the nod because of his overwhelming efforts at the head of his team’s revered fortification. The 22-year-old’s instincts as a thief are close to unparalleled today—he finished first in the NBA in total steals and third in steals per game. Don’t get it twisted; he still gets it done on the ball, too. He’s virtually unscreenable.

3. Derrick White

Here’s where we start getting into the upper echelon. White, a familiar face for Spurs fans, has done nothing but continue to cement this placement since he was traded to Boston in 2022. Along with cracking the All-Defensive First Team in 2025-26, White ranked 13th in the entire league in total blocks, an unbelievable feat for a guard.

2. Alex Caruso

He doesn’t always stand out as much due to the stacked nature of OKC’s defense, but Caruso still very much deserves this spot. He has swung, and will continue to swing, wins deep in the playoffs with his ability to backpack a team on D and shut down players of all shapes and sizes.

The Bald Mamba influences every possession, even if he isn’t the primary defender, because of that versatility, as well as his off-the-charts IQ.

1. Amen Thompson

Speaking of impacting every possession, Amen Thompson is a rare non-big anchor for what’s come to be known as one of the NBA’s defensive powerhouses: the Rockets.

His video game athleticism allows him to do literally everything on D. He missed out on All-Defense in 2025-26 after making First Team in 2024-25, but he’s just 23 years old, so a lot more hardware will be in his future.

Whether you agree or disagree with Stephon Castle’s placement on this list, one thing is clear: he has all the potential needed to rise to the top of it very soon.

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