SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembaneyama claimed he was a legitimate candidate to become the first rookie in league history as soon as he scored the first run over teammate Tre Jones in Friday's game between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks. We have launched a late season campaign to do so. Despite the team's 18 wins and 56 losses, he was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Wembaneyama currently has played the 65 games the NBA deems necessary to win a portion of the postseason award.
Watch out, Rudy Gobert.
San Antonio defeated the Knicks 130-126 in overtime, thanks to Wenbanyama and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, to a sold-out crowd at Frostbank Center in another instant classic. The 20-year-old Spurs rookie became the youngest player in league history to score 40 points and grab 20 rebounds in a game. Brunson provided the Knicks with 61 points, the second-most in the Knicks' long history.
Even Gregg Popovich, who is nearing the end of his 28th season on the Spurs' bench, can't think of a better pairing.
“Did he have 60?” the Hall of Fame coach said when asked if he had ever seen both a 61-point game and a “40-20” game.
Popovich exclaimed, convinced that Brunson had hit 61.
“I don't think I've ever seen it…I mean that night,” he said.
Wembaneyama did not need a 65th game to qualify for NBA Rookie of the Year, one of the awards exempt from the league's controversial requirements.
There should be a spot on his mantle reserved for Wilt Chamberlain-Roy honors, which he will receive once the league begins announcing postseason hardware. His historic 40-20 record was another statistical testament to Wenby's dominance in what was once a close contest against Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren.
With eight games left, Wenby leads all rookies in points (21.0 points per game), rebounds (10.5 points), steals (1.2 points), blocks (NBA-best 3.4) and player efficiency rating (22.9). ing.
Holmgren leads all rookies in shooting percentage both overall (53.5) and 3-pointers (37.7). He also plays for a team that continues to compete for first place in the Western Conference.
The first few months of the season, when the Spurs were on an 18-game losing streak, were enough for media members to declare Holmgren the likely winner of this season's ROY Award.
When the 2023 portion of the season was replaced by 2024, Wenby's minutes restriction was reduced and his production increased. The Spurs' record of 13 wins and 29 losses since New Year's Day isn't much. Still, that should be enough to prove to voters that they should ignore the win margin that led to premature belief that the Thunder rookie was on his way to becoming a top rookie.
Is there a chance that Wembangyama will be unanimously selected? There are only five such awards in the history of this award. Ralph Sampson (1983-84), David Robinson (1989-90), Blake Griffin (2010-11), Damian Lillard (2012-13), Karl-Anthony Towns (2015-16).
Tim Duncan? Keith Van Horn received three first-place votes in 1998 when Duncan was ROY.
Wenbanyama's defensive prowess was paramount in turning what was once a competitive race this season into a rout. His league-leading 223 blocks include 21 games with at least five rejections. Only four rookies in league history have played in a game with five or more blocks: Manute Bol (age 43, 1985-86), Robinson (age 28, 1989-90), and Alonzo Mourning (age 24, 1992). -93), Shaquille O'Neal (23), also 1992-1993).
Wembaneyama's defensive package includes more than just a shot blocker. He also ranks 20th in the league in steals per game, and there are other players who lead the league in shot variation and lack of motivation, categories that are nearly impossible to calculate. It's hard to imagine.
Anyone who has watched a few Spurs games has seen what is now known as the Wemby effect. That means your opponent dribbles out of reach or passes to a teammate, dramatically altering or postponing the shot.
Jones has seen it from his perspective as the Spurs' point guard. He believes Wembaneyama's defensive presence is unrivaled. Even Gobert, a three-time DPOY, isn't as much of a rim protector as Wemby.
“If you watch the game, you can see how (Wenbanyama) impacts the game defensively,” Jones said. “It's tough considering our record, but I think most people know he's already the best defender in the league. He already leads the league in blocks, blocks and steals. He leads in total, which exceeds previous NBA Defensive Player of the Year honorees.
“It's only a matter of time before he wins the award.”
Even Brunson, who scored 61 points, the sixth-most in a season with 16 games of 50 or more points, felt Wenby's presence in the paint.
“He's going to be one of the greatest players in the game,” Brunson said. “It's hard to shoot past him.”
Is he worth voting for DPOY due to the Wemby effect?
“Why not?” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said before a March 19 game against the Spurs. “Why aren't his actions on the defensive end considered?”
In a conversation with reporters before Friday's game, defensive-minded Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said he didn't know how to quantify what Wembaneyama would bring to the Spurs' defense along with Block, but that I understood the impact.
“Yeah, I think one of the biggest things in the league is his rim protection,” Thibodeau said. “You always have to be aware of where he is, his length, his timing, his ability to cover a lot of ground quickly. And as time goes on, he's going to get stronger and stronger.
“You can see it in the plays he's making. You can't teach that. It's instinctive.”
Wenbanyama is mature beyond his years and a realist. He doesn't believe he can win the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy Defensive Player of the Year trophy this season. That's because his good friend and fellow Frenchman Gobert averages 2.1 blocks per game and anchors one of the league's best defensive teams.
“We know that Rudy has a very good chance of winning this year, and that makes sense,” Wenbanyama said earlier this month. “Let him win now, because after that it's not his turn anymore.”
That's a lot of bravado, but it's based on evidence. In fact, Wenbanyama's combination of blocks (223) and steals (81), which statistics geeks call his “stock,” is 304. Last season's DPOY, Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson Jr., had 254. Gobert has never scored more than .263. , when he won his first DPOY award in 2016-17 (214 blocks, 49 steals).
With Wenbanyama on the court, the Spurs' defensive ranking is 117.2. 123.1 when he's off the court. And in the Spurs' last 15 games with Wenby on the court, their defensive rating is 106.0, which would rank first in the NBA.
Wembaneyama's strong defensive work in Friday's victory was overshadowed by him becoming the youngest player in NBA history to go 40-20. No rookie since Shaquille O'Neal recorded 46 points and 21 rebounds for the Orlando Magic on February 6, 1993, 18 days shy of his 21st birthday. .
Wenby doesn't turn 21 until January 4th.
So how many DPOY trophies will Wembaneyama win by the end of his career? No player has won more than four, but this honor is shared by Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.
Looks like another goal within reach for the Spurs' superstar rookie.
(Photo of Isaiah Hartenstein and Victor Wenbanyama: Ronald Cortez/Getty Images)
