Draymond Green is hailing Victor Wembanyama as a player with a legitimate shot at winning Defensive Player of the Year. He initially expressed concerns about Wemby’s defense, but Draymond went on his podcast and defended Wemby’s potential DPOY season.
“I lied… Wemby should be the Defensive Player of the Year because he’s that amazing defensively. The way he impacts the game defensively, whether it’s on the ball or off the ball, it’s a problem. When you drive to the hole and guys maybe have a layup and turn the other way, that’s a blocked shot in some sense…
Draymond added further raise, saying Wemby was built in a lab.
“I don’t know what lab he was created in but I need to create me a son in that lab because the dude is unbelievable.”
"I lied… Wemby should be the Defensive Player of the Year" – @Money23Green 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/7uPsIoMKIv
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) April 3, 2024
Green and Wembanyama recently faced off in a Warriors vs. Spurs game, prompting Draymond to give his thoughts on Wemby’s play during the post-game media.
“He’s a very very very very very special talent. I’m happy I got the opportunity to play against him now because they’ll have to deal with him a lot later and I won’t be in the league anymore, so that’s good for me.”
Wembanyama is averaging 21.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 3.5 blocks as a rookie, an incredible season. Tim Duncan would be proud of the instant impact that Wemby is having. The difference between Wemby and Duncan is that Tim helped the Spurs win a title instantly, but Wemby can’t do the same due to an inferior supporting cast.
Is Winning The Only Thing That Counts?
Statistically, there is no defensive player that even compares to what Wembanyama brings to the table. He’s leading rookie in almost every counting stats category anyway, and leading the entire NBA in shot-blocking. His ability to push for steals is incredible as well, ranking 20th in that department despite his size.
As of March 2024, Wembanyama is leading the Spurs to a defensive rating of 117.2 on the court. When he is off the court, that number balloons to 123.1. Wembanyama has also steadily improved as the season goes on, with his minutes on the court leading to the Spurs being a top-three defense in March.
If you look at the numbers, there isn’t a single defender in the NBA who can claim they’re playing more defense than Wembanyama. But Wemby is on track to finish with less than 20 wins this season, which would make awarding him this preposterous.
Players like Kyrie Irving have already said that Wembanyama will likely win the DPOY in his career based on his skill and size. Other players like Jalen Brunson think he’ll start pushing up on the greatest to have ever played the game.
Unfortunately, winning is the thing that counts most. There are no trophies for second place, and you can’t expect such an honor after a season where your defense didn’t even lead to 20 wins. But as Wemby himself has made it clear, he is coming after the award from next season and nobody can stop him.
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