Angel Reese, Veronica Burton Lead WNBA DPOY Race With 102.7 and 98.6 Defensive Ratings
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 16
Angel Reese, Veronica Burton Lead WNBA DPOY Race With 102.7 and 98.6 Defensive Ratings
2 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 16
Summary
Angel Reese and Veronica Burton have emerged as the strongest WNBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates, with Reese anchoring Atlanta and Burton driving Golden State’s league-best defense.
102.7 is Atlanta’s defensive rating in Reese’s minutes—the league’s second-best among 1,000-minute players—and the Dream worsen by 14.2 points per 100 possessions when she sits, the biggest on-off drop among qualifiers.
77.2 is the defensive rating opponents post when targeting Reese in pick-and-rolls, while her rebounding and turnover creation help power Atlanta to top-two defensive value in those possession-control categories.
98.6 is Golden State’s defensive rating in Burton’s minutes, best in the league, and her 47.6% effective field goal rate allowed as closest defender underscores her case as the Valkyries force turnovers at an elite clip.
2026 Golden State is tracking as one of the best defenses on record, ranking second in relative defensive rating since 2009 at minus-9.07, while Burton could become the first guard to win DPOY since 2018.
Between historic rebounding and lockdown perimeter pressure, which defensive philosophy will ultimately crown this season's WNBA Defensive Player of the Year?
Could a deep bench actually cost Veronica Burton the DPOY award by masking her true impact compared to Angel Reese?