Should Victor Wembanyama Be Considered For NBA Defensive Player Of The Year?
Victor Wembanyama is on a fast track to win the Rookie of the Year award in the NBA. The race was between him and Chet Holmgren for much of the regular season, but the last 10 or so games from Wembanyama have seen him take a commanding lead on the odds board.
But is there another prestigious award that the first-year phenom from the San Antonio Spurs deserves consideration for?
Defensive stats this season:
Wemby ā 72 STL | 186 BLK | 107.4 DRTG
Davis ā 66 STL | 145 BLK | 109.9 DRTG
Gobert ā 35 STL | 128 BLK | 104.0 DRTG
Who is the DPOY? pic.twitter.com/CZV9tHj29X
ā StatMuse (@statmuse) March 5, 2024
It was known that Wembanyama would be a game changer on the defensive end due to his freakish athletic ability and other-worldly length and frame. But the impact that he has had in his rookie season and at such a young age has been something of a revelation, especially during his recent hot streak.
Over the last 8 games, Wembanyama is putting up 24.6 points and pulling down nearly 12 rebounds per, but it is on the defensive end where he has been most impressive and impactful. During the streak, he is blocking an astounding average of 5.4 shots, and has 2.5 steals per contest to boot.
But despite the dominance on that end of the floor, he is still well behind in terms of consideration for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Gobert Still Has Commanding Lead Based On Odds
Rudy Gobert dominated with 25 PTS & 16 REB as the Timberwolves took down the Trail Blazers šŗ pic.twitter.com/dIzOmMNmqH
ā NBA (@NBA) March 5, 2024
The hardware has been Rudy Gobertās to lose for much of the season. There werenāt many players having nearly the same type of defensive impact, but Wembanyama was one of them.
And thanks to his elevated play over the past couple of weeks, the Spurs center actually has far better numbers than Gobert in many of the most important categories on the board. He has 186 blocks, nearly 30 more than anyone else and nearly 60 more than Gobert. His 72 steals rank 15th in the league overall, which is more than double the number that Gobert has.
There are some numbers working in Gobertās favor, though. He leads the league in defensive rating and is on arguably the best defensive team in the league, and obviously has the pedigree as a former winner of the award. And while voter fatigue is certainly a thing that could be included in the case against Minnesotaās big man, there is little to no chance that a rookie would win two of the most sought-after regular season awards in the NBA, especially one playing for a bottom feeding team like San Antonio.
Most sports books have Rudy Gobert as a massive favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year at a number somewhere around -750, with Wembanyama listed at +750.
