Kyrie Irving got real on Victor Wembanyama’s generational defensive play after the Mavericks 113-107 win over the Spurs. Irving believed Wembanyama could easily win Defensive Player of the Year this season.
“He’s showing signs that he’s exceeded all the Defensive Player of the Year stats previous to guys that have won it. … I don’t know who they’re going to pick, but I mean, he has all the tools to be named Defensive Player of the Year.”
Kyrie couldn’t separate Wemby’s defensive abilities from the other stars that have won in recent years.
“He’s for sure a candidate. I don’t know how he wouldn’t be unless the game’s played or minutes, but I mean, he’s every Defensive Player of the Year that’s won in the past few years. He’s almost head and shoulders, and we still have 15, some odd games left.”
Wemby’s single-handed impact on defense put Luka Doncic in a situation where he had the worst offensive game of his career with 18 points on 27 shot attempts. Kyrie carried the team forward with 28 points, clearly unafraid of Wemby’s generational defensive ability.
Wembanyama has struggled in all games against the Mavericks this season. He only put up 12 points last night but got six blocks throughout the game. He would’ve easily won Defensive Player of the Year this season as a rookie if his team was even remotely competent in terms of their record. Kyrie believes his talent has earned that honor, but he needs to lead his team to wins to have a legitimate shot at earning that trophy.
Victor Wembanyama And Kyrie Irving Have Had Some Moments
The relationship between Wemby and Kyrie on the court seems pretty significant. After Luka struggled to score the ball, further limited by a hamstring injury, Irving took the lead role on the court fearlessly. Irving kept playing the way he did even with Wemby in the paint, later saying that if you can finish at the rim against Wembanyama, you can do it against anyone in the NBA.
“I like going in there and challenging him because if you could finish on Wemby, I feel like you could finish on anybody in the world. He’s going to block some, and he’s going to make you change it, but it’s only gonna make you better as a basketball player.”
Irving had one of the best buckets of the season with a ridiculous shot over Wembanyama the last time the teams faced off. Irving is also fresh off an incredible buzzer-beating floater/hook shot over Nikola Jokic. The 12-year veteran isn’t scared to challenge tall centers around the rim because of his supreme skill and touch with the basketball.
Kyrie is averaging 25.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists this season. Wembanyama is averaging 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks, currently the favorite to win Rookie of the Year.
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