Top 10 defensive stoppers in the 2025 recruiting class
On3 updated the 2025 On3 150 this week, and with that comes conversation. Of course, you can look through the rankings and categorize players by the numbers beside them. However, oftentimes that can give the reader an obtuse look at a player’s specific skill set. I wanted to supplement the rankings while diving a little deeper and looking at a player’s skill set and talking about the best that I have seen – to this point – in the class.
This week I will go through some Superlatives. The topics will include best rim protector, best rebounder, top defensive stoppers, most explosive, top pure scorers, and best shooter. In this edition, we take a look at the best rim protectors.
Being a defensive stopper can be very subjective. For the matter of these superlatives, we broke defense into two separate categories, ‘defensive stopper’ for the perimeter-based players and ‘rim protector’ for the bigs. For this piece, I looked at players who were versatile/switchable defenders and/or guys who could hold down the point-of-attack.
With that caveat pointed out, let’s discuss the top defensive stoppers in the 2025 On3 150.
Aggression
Former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green said, “To play great defense, you have to be an intensely focused and aggressive player…”
As you go through talking about perimeter defense, there are different types. You have point-of-attack defenders, guys who guard the ball on an island. And you have off-the-ball defenders, team defenders who get in the passing lanes and understand rotations. Both of them are valuable in their own right, but I grouped them together for the purposes of this writing.
Many times defense is a reactionary part of basketball, but some players are naturally able to be the aggressors. Here are the best perimeter defenders that I’ve seen for the 2025 class.
Five-Star Plus+ PF Caleb Wilson
This is a new development for Caleb Wilson, but the 6-foot-8 forward made it his personal mission this summer to make you notice his defensive game. Wilson has excellent length, and good athleticism, and he has natural off-ball defensive timing.
Wilson changed travel teams early this summer. He went from being the featured player for a Georgia Stars team to an already established Nightrydas team that was a two-time defending Peach Jam Champions. That program also had Cam Boozer, the No. 2 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, and the same position as Wilson. The top five player had to join the team and carve out a role. It took a couple of sessions, but when things started clicking, Wilson’s long-term outcomes really took off.
Through Peach Jam, Wilson averaged 1.9 steals. He showed fluid hips with the ability to switch and slide along the perimeter. He also averaged 2.8 blocks per game. Showing he could switch down a lineup and protect the rim from the weak side. Wilson’s positional versatility on the defensive end is quite valuable in today’s game. Wilson also averaged 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and shot 62.0 percent from the field on 11.5 attempts per game.
Other Top Perimeter Defenders
*alphabetical order
3-star PG Jaylen Cross
Height/Weight: 6-3/180High School: Greensboro (NC) Caldwell Academy2025 On3 150: No. 147
The Skinny: Jaylen Cross carries a strong frame with great length. He has always had an innate sense on the defensive end. Over the past 12 months, as his offensive game has found an identity, is when he started getting high major love. Cross is capable of guarding all three perimeter positions. He is quick and physical at the point-of-attack and can switch off-ball and chase a shooter or get in the passing lanes to cut down angles. There is also a sense of pride that Cross takes in his defense, wanting to defend the other team’s best player.
4-star PG Kingston Flemings
Height/Weight: 6-3/170High School: San Antonio (TX) Brennan High2025 On3 150: No. 13
The Skinny: Kingston Flemings has a sneaky 6-foot-3 frame with excellent length and a lot of explosive pop. He also plays with a purpose at the point of attack. Flemings will pick up for 94 feet and make it his purpose to keep his man out of the paint. Flemings has quick hands and feet as well as excellent timing. He is a good shot blocker for his position and he is able to switch off the ball and cut down plays in the passing lanes. While Flemings lives in the paint on offense, he keeps his man out of the paint. The talk of him this summer started calling him the best two-way point-of-attack guard in the class.
4-star SG Gildas Gimenez
Height/Weight: 6-6/200High School: Real Madrid (Spain)2025 On3 150: No. 42
The Skinny: Gildas Gimenez has great length and functionally fluid athleticism. His ability to move and instincts to be around the ball might be his best attribute at this point as a prospect. Gimenez is best as an off-the-ball defender. He uses his length to cut off angles and gather deflections in the passing lanes. Playing for Spain over the past two summers of the U16 and U17 World Cup, the 6-foot-6 wing has averaged 1.3 steals per game. He has also shown some presence as a shot blocker with his timing. He is one whose length and instincts seem to always have him around the play.
4-star PG King Grace
Height/Weight: 6-2/170High School: Waxahachie (TX) High2025 On3 150: No. 84
The Skinny: Speed is King Grace’s thing, speed, and a burning competitive fire. He has quick hands on the defensive end of the floor and he plays a physical style of on-ball defense. Grace is able to quickly turn defense into offense. And, in fact, that is when he is at his best when he can get into a good rhythm on the defensive end. Grace will stick his nose in there and get into the mix of things. He will defend both guard spots and is capable of picking up for a full 94 feet to make things uncomfortable for his opponents.
4-star SF Shelton Henderson
Height/Weight: 6-6/210High School: Houston (TX) Bellaire High2025 On3 150: No. 31
The Skinny: It is it always the prettiest with Shelton Henderson, but more often than not, the results are productive. Henderson has a lengthy and strong 6-foot-6 frame. He is able to guard all three perimeter positions and can even switch down a lineup to guard the four for some possessions. Henderson gathers deflections in the passing lanes and he is a solid rebounder at his position. A guy who simply does the tough-guy things on the floor that others typically do not want to do.
4-star PG Chris Jeffrey
Height/Weight: 6-3/200High School: Lanham (MD) Mt. Zion Prep2025 On3 150: No. 69
The Skinny: Chris Jeffrey is a very strong and very physical guy at the point of attack. And just as much as he touches the paint on offense, his physicality on the defensive end makes it tough for the other team to get paint touches. Jeffrey has a 6-foot-3 frame with a plus wing span. Not only is he strong but he has quick hands and he is very competitive. He averaged 2.0 steals per game at Peach Jam. Jeffrey switched on and off the ball and consistently made things tough for his opponents.
4-star PG Kelvin Odih
Height/Weight: 6-4/190High School: South Kent (CT) Academy2025 On3 150: No. 53
The Skinny: Kelvin Odih is strong, competitive, and he is physical. Those traits, when combined, can typically lead to some positive things on the defensive side of the ball. Odih can comfortably guard the one through four. He has great length and twitchy athleticism. He can slide his feet and turn the ball handler or get into the passing lanes and cut off angles. Odih has a nose for the ball and carries an innate feature that seems to constantly have him around the play. He also plays with a ton of confidence.
4-star PF Jaion Pitt
Height/Weight: 6-7/215High School: Glendale (AZ) Canyon International2025 On3 150: No. 70
The Skinny: When watching Jaion Pitt play, a lot of times it can be subtle, but you always notice him around the play. He is a fluid 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-plus wing span. Pitt has excellent instincts. He is able to move his feet and guard while also switching down a lineup and guard on the block. While he is not a rim protector, he is switchable and disruptive. He is a 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals kind of defender as well as an instinctive offensive rebounder. While his game is not flashy, his instincts and production are consistent.
4-star SF Tounde Yessoufou
Height/Weight: 6-5/210High School: Santa Maria (CA) St. Joseph2025 On3 150: No. 11
The Skinny: It is hard to watch Tounde Yessoufou and not appreciate the physicality he plays with. The 6-foot-5 wing plays with a purpose, he has a nose for the ball. Yessoufou averaged 2.2 steals through Peach Jam, as well as countless other deflections. He showed he could guard each perimeter position on the ball or make plays with his off-ball defense. Yessoufou’s motor runs hot on both ends of the court. He finishes around the basket, rebounds in and out of his area, and he makes consistent plays on the defensive end of the floor.
One to Watch
4-star PF Tylis Jordan (Ole Miss)
Height/Weight: 6-9/220High School: Marietta (GA) Wheeler High2025 On3 150: No. 27
The Skinny: Watching Tylis Jordan play, it is hard not to envision the future. At 6-foot-9, and pushing 6-foot-10 Jordan has a lengthy and very fluid frame. You see him defending on the ball in trapping-type systems, sliding his feet, and switching with perimeter-based wings and forwards. In the same possession, Jordan will switch down a lineup and guard on the block. He has nice off-ball timing, both in the passing lanes and as a rim protector. Jordan has a lot of tools that translate to the highest levels. His size, timing/instincts and fluid athleticism are unique. Continue to pay attention.
The post Top 10 defensive stoppers in the 2025 recruiting class appeared first on On3.
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