WNBA All-Defensive Teams Set Tone For Dream-Valkyries Finals Clash
The WNBA released its All-Defensive teams yesterday. Angel Reese, Rhyne Howard, Shakira Austin, Gabby Williams, and A’ja Wilson were named to the All-Defensive First Team, and Veronica Burton, Jordin Canada, Sonia Citron, Breanna Stewart, and Kiah Stokes made up the second team.
One thing that stands out about the results is that three teams dominated the voting. The Atlanta Dream, the Golden State Valkyries, and the Washington Mystics took up eight of the ten spots. Two of those teams, the Dream and Valkyries, will battle for the 2026 WNBA Championship starting Saturday, October 17.
Defense will indeed win championships this year. The Dream and Valkyries are proving how important it is to have multiple high-level defenders at several positions on the roster. Each team had its starting point guard, center, and a wing among the top ten defenders in the W.
The WNBA Finals Will Be a Defensive Battle
The Dream-Valkyries finals matchup will be a display of phenomenal defense. Golden State finished the regular season first in defensive rating, and Atlanta finished third. No team held opponents to a lower field-goal percentage or scoring average than the Valkyries—in September, they held opponents below 70 points in six consecutive games—and no team forced more turnovers than the Dream. Howard, Canada, and Reese led the league in steals per game in that order.
Both teams have also delivered on their defensive promise in the playoffs. The Valkyries held opponents to an average of 75.1 points per game over the first two series. No other team held opponents to an average of fewer than 80 points. The Dream forced the Mystics and New York Liberty to commit 16 turnovers per game, the most among all playoff teams.
This is a clash of defensive greatness, with the two main vote-getters for Defensive Player of the Year leading the best defensive teams to the very top of the league.
It is also a lesson for other teams that are trying to build a championship contender. Take the Indiana Fever, for example. They are a great offensive team, but they struggle to defend. Aliyah Boston made the All-Defensive Second Team last year, but the Fever do not have a guard or wing who is even close to being in that same conversation right now, and Boston cannot cover for all of those weak spots on the perimeter. If they want to reach the potential a team led by Boston and Caitlin Clark (and hopefully, Kelsey Mitchell) has, they have to improve their perimeter defense ahead of the 2027 season.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.