Victor Wembanyama is in the running for his first MVP award, but he thinks he should be a frontrunner.
The San Antonio Spurs haven't had an MVP since Tim Duncan in 2003, but it's only a matter of time before Victor Wembanyama brings home the hardware.
In just his third NBA season, he's averaging 24.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, and three blocks. He's easily the best defender in the NBA and is a top offensive player as well, thanks to his well-rounded skillset.
Right now, the Oklahoma City Thunder's guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is seen as the MVP frontrunner, with Wembanyama nipping at his heels. SGA may be a better scorer, and the Thunder might have a better record, but Wembanyama and Spurs fans everywhere think he should be next in line.
Wemby Outlines MVP Case
As Wemby would put it, defense is half of the game, and no one else in the league is anywhere close to him in terms of defensive impact.
As the season winds down, Wemby, SGA, Nikola Jokic, and Jaylen Brown all have cases, but the final award might be decided by the 65-game minimum to qualify. For Wembanyama, that shouldn't be a problem (we hope).
"I think right now, there is a debate, you know, that should be," he said after the Spurs' most recent win over the Miami Heat. "Even though I think I should lead the race. And I'm trying to make sure that until the end of the season, there's no debate anymore."
While he's aware that there's still a "debate," he doesn't mind campaigning for himself to win it.
"Defense is 50 percent of the game, and it is undervalued so far in the MVP race," he claimed. "I'm the most impactful player defensively in the league. Second argument would be that we almost swept OKC in the season, and we dominated them three times with their real team and four times with more rotation players."
Why should Wemby lose the MVP award to Gilgeous-Alexander when he's come out on top in head-to-head matchups?
The Thunder may have a better record than the upstart Spurs, but Wembanyama is quick to point out that the Spurs have a season series lead over their Western Conference rivals. In a seven-game series, fans are divided on who they think will win, and MVP voters will likely use the race to predict who will come out of the Western Conference in the postseason.