No NBA postseason award is close to sewn up, but if one player is pulling away in the lead for an award it is Victor Wembanyama for Defensive Player of the Year.
If you wonder why, watch all of his 10 blocks against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
ALL TEN OF WEMBY’S REJECTIONS
30 points.
10 blocks.
7 rebounds.
4 threes.The first player in NBA history age 20 or younger to record multiple games of 10+ blocks! pic.twitter.com/v95tWB0QgT
— NBA (@NBA) December 22, 2024
Wembanyama leads the NBA in total blocks (87) and blocks per game (3.8), but that doesn’t do justice to the number of shots he alters or deters around the paint. He’s also mobile enough to do some switching out on the perimeter and contain guards because of his length. With that, the Spurs defense is 8.7 points per 100 possessions better when he is on the court.
Wembanyama also finished with 30 points on 8-of-16 shooting, with four made 3-pointers, and got to the line 11 times against Portland.
An interesting test of Wembanyama’s defense will come on Christmas Day against the New York Knicks, the second-best offense in the NBA and with a stretch five in Karl-Anthony Towns, who can pull Wembanyama away from the basket.
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