The French phenom, in a press conference, reflected on the criteria for awarding the MVP trophy, explaining why he believes he merits it. Meanwhile, the Spurs have won 22 of their last 23 games.
“Why are you the MVP?” A candidate presents their case, and Wembanyama has done just that. In the press conference following his Spurs’ victory against Miami, the French star discussed the race for the season’s best player award. “I’ve given it some thought,” he said. “I think the debate is open, and rightly so. However, I believe I am leading the race, and I’m working to ensure this debate is settled by the season’s end.” When asked by The Athletic to elaborate on what he considers the key criteria, he presented his arguments in three points.
The Three Points
First: defense. “It’s 50% of the game and has been undervalued in the MVP race so far,” Wembanyama asserted. “I believe I am the most defensively impactful player in the league.” With him on the court, offensive spaces for opponents are drastically altered. The Spurs’ defensive rating with him playing is 103.5 points allowed per 100 possessions, more than two points better than OKC’s league-leading overall defense (105.8). Notably, he is the only player among the top six in this defensive metric who isn’t a Thunder player. Wembanyama is currently on track to finish as the league’s leading shot-blocker this season, a feat that would put him on a path towards joining an elite group of players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mark Eaton, and Marcus Camby, who have led the league in blocks for multiple seasons.
His second point focused on direct matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder. “This season, we’ve almost always beaten them,” he noted, “dominating three times with our full squad, and once with rotation players.” While OKC is home to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a leading MVP contender, Wembanyama highlighted that the head-to-head results have favored San Antonio, even though the Spurs trail OKC by three games in the standings.
For his third argument, Wembanyama stated, “Offensive impact isn’t solely measured by points.” He pointed out his ranking second in plus/minus, just behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He currently averages 24.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game. Historically, only six players have concluded a season with such comprehensive statistics: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar achieved this five times, Hakeem Olajuwon twice, and Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson once each.
The Threshold
Beyond on-court performance, a crucial topic in the MVP discussion is the minimum 65-game eligibility threshold for end-of-season awards. For instance, Nikola Jokic can only miss one more game out of ten remaining. Cade Cunningham needs to play at least five more but is sidelined with a collapsed lung. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are on track to meet the requirement (both currently at 60 games), but it has been a concern for them as well. Wembanyama himself needs to play at least 7 of the remaining 10 games. The San Antonio Spurs have recently shown a remarkable surge, winning 22 of their last 23 contests, quickly establishing themselves as a team with championship aspirations, a surprising leap in quality. Wembanyama himself has accelerated his development at an incredible pace. While it’s unlikely he will win the MVP award this year, it appears to be only a matter of time before he does.