NBA DPOY, THE CASE FOR VICTOR WEMBANYAMA

I can hear all of the people in Minnesota completely hating this story, but the fact is that the most dominant defensive player over the course of the entire 2023-24 season was not Rudy Gobert; it was, in fact, Victor Wembanyama.

Wemby, who in his rookie season had the deal with the San Antonio Spurs, did not play him in the correct position for the majority of the first quarter of the season. He also had to deal with the failed Jeremy Sochan point guard experiment and teammates who struggled to understand how to play him, which quickly vanished during the second half of the season. 

Then there are the facts: The San Antonio Spurs' defense was bottom-tier in the NBA this year. They ranked 21st in defensive rating, 115.6. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves had the best defense in the league, anchored by Rudy Gobert, who, if he wins the DPOY, will win his fourth trophy.

The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama’s defensive talent was fantastic this season. He led the league in blocks by a landslide and will most likely win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award.

As for the ongoing DPOY debate, many current and former players believe Wemby deserves the DPOY this year. Here’s what former NBA MVP Kevin Garnett said during a recent episode of the KG Certified podcast: He said that Wembanyama should win DPOY.

“It ain’t even a choice,” Garnett said. “And I hope the league don’t screw him. All this, ‘Oh, he plays on a bad team,’ [but] you still gotta show up and clock in. Wemby has took expectations and shot it to the moon, man. Everything we expected him to do, he was a lot and then some. The [stuff] he’s doing in the post, man, get outta here, man.”

So what does Wemby say?

“Rudy (Gobert) has a very good chance of winning it this year. It would be deserved, but let him earn it now because afterward it won't be his turn," Wembanyama finished with a laugh.

THE UNDERRATED OPINION
Yes, Rudy Gobert is a significant reason the Timberwolves had the best defense in the league. Still, people should not discount what Wemby accomplished on the court because of the lack of defensive talent around him.

The fact is that Wemby averaged 3.6 blocks a game vs. Gobert's 2.1, plus Gobert, on average, played four more minutes per game. Gobert posted 162 blocks vs. Wemby's 254. Gobert also played in five more games than Wemby.

Then there’s the eye test. Just go back and watch a few of Wemby's games and compare what you see to Gobert. Team defense stats aside, I think most people would agree that Wemby deserves the award this year. 

Wembanyama's 3.4 blocks and 1.3 steals put him in NBA elite company. Only five players have ever reached those totals in NBA history, and they all did it in way more than Wembanyama's 29 minutes per game.

Remember, Wemby is a Rookie,  and the magic eightball says, “Wemby unlikely to win DPOY this year.”  Still, NBA awards politics aside, Wemby deserves to win the award this year based on merit; he should not have deal with that unwritten rule about waiting your turn,