Victor Wembanyama has openly discussed his goal of winning the MVP and DPOY awards this season. Following a 115-102 win against the Charlotte Hornets in mid-March, he said that he would “press the gas until the end of the season” to earn the coveted honors.
On Monday, the San Antonio Spurs center responded when asked to name three arguments on why he should be the MVP:
“Defense is 50% of the game, and that is undervalued so far in your race because I believe I’m the most impactful player, defensively, in the league.
“Second argument would be we almost swept OKC in the season, and we dominated them three times with their real team. …. My third argument would be offense impact is not just points.”
Victor Wembanyama’s defensive impact might not give him an advantage in the MVP race. Most voters would put a premium on defense when considering the Defensive Player of the Year. Usually, the offense dominates MVP discussions. Only time will tell if his defensive dominance argument will sway voters to his MVP case.
The Spurs beating the Thunder in four of five meetings arguably has significant merit in Wembanyama’s MVP push. San Antonio was expected to fight for a play-in spot. Instead, the Spurs are giving the Thunder a run for their money for the best record in the NBA. Along the way, San Antonio handily beat OKC in three of their four wins.
Wemby’s third argument about offense being not just points is worth considering. The 7-foot-4 center is averaging 24.3 points per game, but his impact is more than that. Defenses always pay attention to him, although San Antonio rarely runs the offense through him.
According to NBA stats, the Spurs have a 119.9 offensive rating with Wembanyama on the floor, a figure that ranks second in the league. When he is out, San Antonio’s offensive rating drops to 113.5, good for No. 20 in the NBA.
Victor Wembanyama conceded that the MVP battle is still debatable. He added that he is working to make sure that there will be no debate about his worthiness to win the award by season’s end.
Spurs’ Late Season Success Bodes Well for Victor Wembanyama’s MVP Case
Nobody has been better than Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs since February. During that stretch, they have owned a 22-2 record, four games better than the OKC Thunder’s 19-4 mark.
Wemby has been a key reason for the Spurs’ surge. He is averaging 24.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 3.3 assists per game during that span. San Antonio recorded wins against the Thunder and dominated the Detroit Pistons twice during that stretch. The Spurs are the only team to beat the Thunder and the Pistons, the top two conference teams, this season.
Victor Wembanyama’s impressive stretch has steadily pushed him into the top 5 of the MVP ladder. In the NBA’s latest rankings, which came out on Thursday, he ranked No. 3 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic.
A sustained excellence from Wembanyama will bode well for his MVP campaign.
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