With the preseason coming to a close Victor averaged nearly 3 blocks with 5 boards in only 20 mins played. JJJ, the reigning DPOY averaged 3 blocks with nearly 7 rebounds in 28 mins played.
If Victor increases his rebounding numbers and keeps playing at this level do you think he may have a real chance to be the first rookie to win DPOY?
Probably not. On eFG% defense alone it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s best in the league day one, but I think he’ll be in suboptimal defensive position a lot (out on the perimeter giving up looks at the rim), the Spurs are looking like a really bad defensive rebounding team partly because of him doing that and leaking out (he was a much better rebounder in Europe so I hope Pop is willing to change this), and while he clearly forces turnovers sometimes, his blocks are often into the stands and not the arms of a teammate, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him take a charge.
Basically, I think on tools and what most people think when they think “defense” he’ll be right there, but it’s his rookie year and I don’t think he’ll do all the little things that the very best defenders in the league do.
Take a charge? lmao. Why would he sacrifice his body and potential for injury when he has an 8’ wingspan and a decent vertical? Pop doesn’t want him taking charges, he wants his presence and shot blocking.
I’m not saying he should be taking charges right now, I’m saying he’s not contributing to turnovers that way. He also doesn’t get as many steals as you’d think (though based on the preseason that might be changing) or draw other kinds of offensive fouls. I’m bringing this up because turnovers are super valuable defensive events and he just doesn’t generate as many of them as the very best defensive players do, yet anyway.
Did Dwight Howard force a lot of turnovers?
Wemby’s going to cause some turnovers reaching into drive gaps to swipe at the ball (already shown) and he’s going to block shots into fast break scores (already shown) and he’s going to be the most elite mobile roaming defensive anchor you’ve ever seen. He doesn’t have to pick point guards like Stockton or draw charges like Lowry to be elite defensively.
A lot of D12’s value came from his rebounding (both defensive and offensive), not just his rim protection. And frankly, I think Wembanyama should be aiming higher than D12. He very clearly has the tools to be the best defender the NBA has ever seen. It would be a waste for him not to maximize his gifts because he wants to play suboptimally, even if playing that way is more visually impressive and occasionally necessary in the playoffs.
I agree he doesn’t have to play like Stockton or Lowry to be the best defender in the league… but IMO he does have to rebound unless he’s playing next to an elite defensive rebounding center like JJJ was (which he isn’t this year). I also think he needs to get better at maintaining control of the ball after a block in order to maximize the value of his blocks; blocks out on the perimeter are already usually less valuable than blocks at the rim because perimeter shots are much less likely to go in in the first place. He also really needs to control his own turnovers so teams don’t get as many transition opportunities against him.
Maybe this seems nitpicky to you, but if you he really wants to be the best defender in the league, these are things he needs to improve on, because they have a significant impact on the overall value of his otherworldly eFG defense. There are going to be a lot of games this year where he is playing lockdown defense, the Spurs seem to be shooting well, but somehow the game is still close, and it’ll be because they’re not controlling the rebounding and turnover game.