Player The unfortunately low-ceilinged Shaolin monastery of Victor Wembanyama

[OK Computer]

I'm sure you could cherry pick examples of Bam Adebayo getting beat by offensive players on drives and post-ups. Wemby's defensive impact is unquestionably greater than any single other player in the NBA, and it's not even close.

I’m not arguing that Bam is better than Wemby. I absolutely agree that Wemby is in a league on his own as a defender. But I’m not going to pretend he’s a perfect defender in all aspects of the game. He’s not a great perimeter defender, and that’s ok. He might grade 6 out of 10 there, but anywhere else (especially the paint), he’s 30 out of 10.

 

[wEmBoY]

Wemby would have scored 100+ if he got the same shots that Bam got in that game tbh

Depends if he is hot. Bam was hot in the first quarter scored 31pts.

 

[scott]

We are @ Miami on 3/23. I expect this discourse to lead to Wemby blocking Bam a few times, and maybe we force Bam into a switch on Fox a few times and let Swipa cook. Bam better wrap them ankles

 

[Exstatic]

Maybe Pop picked up on this childishness, and selected Plumlee for the USMNT instead of Bam for that reason.

 

[frenchfred]

Did he roll his ankle last night? This spurs medical staff making fake injury to rest victor. NBA should investigate this one tbh.

You bitching all the time about the load management is not going to change anything. So, you’d better get used to it.

 

[wEmBoY]

You bitching all the time about the load management is not going to change anything. So, you’d better get used to it.

Yeah BS

 

[Dbreiden83080]

Did he roll his ankle last night? This spurs medical staff making fake injury to rest victor. NBA should investigate this one tbh.

Maybe he rolled it in practice? Shit happens.. Stay hopeful for Sat..

 

[FiestaSpurs]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032256316585001023

 

[Dbreiden83080]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032256316585001023

 

[kxs783]

Clearly Mitch didn't want to show his hand to Denver with the playoffs around the corner. I expect Vic back next game.

 

[LeBowen]

Kia MVP Ladder: Victor Wembanyama turns things into three-player sprint

San Antonio's star big man keeps shining and enters the fray at the top with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić.

www.nba.com

2. Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Season stats: 24.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.0 blocks​

His case: It’s too bad Wembanyama missed Thursday’s game against Jokić and the Nuggets with an ankle sprain because he has been on a roll against quality opponents lately. We were denied a potentially epic competition; Wembanyama would’ve no doubt met the challenge if only because he has done so all season.
He’s averaging 28 points and 11 rebounds with 4.2 blocks in March and is impacting games more intensely because his minutes have increased. The Spurs did their best to preserve Wembanyama for much of the season because of injuries and to keep him fresh for the stretch run. That strategy has worked — the ankle injury isn’t considered serious — and now Wembanyama is being unleashed upon the league.

 

[tearsofmorningdew]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032503693044756659

lol this idiot is throwing a fit on the TL, talking about “ausar” as DPOY over Wemby

 

[Exstatic]

Ausar is a fantastic defender, probably first team, but I want to see a video, just one, where a player dribbles into his area, sees him, and Nopes the fuck right out of there. There are scores of videos of players doing that against Wemby. That’s a DPOY.

 

[Correct Crusader]

Ausar is a fantastic defender, probably first team, but I want to see a video, just one, where a player dribbles into his area, sees him, and Nopes the fuck right out of there. There are scores of videos of players doing that against Wemby. That’s a DPOY.

Only other player that happens to is Gobert.

 

[Exstatic]

Only other player that happens to is Gobert.

I’ll take your word for it, but I’ll bet it was a half court set. If Wemby is back, he stalls 2 on one or 3 on one fast breaks. Never seen any shit like that before.

 

[scott]

There is no world in which Wemby is not DPOY, other than the one where he doesn't play 65 games... but I didn't realize how good Ausar had been. Below is a graphic representation of D-EPM for the entire league. Wemby is the top dot (+3.9), Ausar is the second one (+3.8). Big gap to Zach Edey (+3.4 but only 11 games) and then a big gap to the rest, led by Chet (+3.1).

Kind of crazy, the #4 (starting with Chet) through 11 guys in D-EPM all play for OKC (Chet #4, Wallace #6, iHart #8, Caruso #10, Mitchell #11). Certainly they all kind of buoy each other in D-EPM, but that's pretty nuts. We'll be there similarly soon.

 

[Coyote2!]

It is wild to me that Wemby's physical gifts are sometimes held against him. As if he should be judged not for the amazing plays he makes using his god-given body, but against a theoretical 6'6" Wemby with a 6'11" wingspan that most certainly wouldn't be able to warp the game the way he does as merely a "freak of nature".

In my mind, saying that Wemby is "just tall" is no different from saying the Shaq was "just big".

It's just so disingenuous.

 

[Itzsoweezee]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032503693044756659

lol this idiot is throwing a fit on the TL, talking about “ausar” as DPOY over Wemby

This guy has been the worst basketball hipster for YEARS. Just nothing but endless bad takes and yelling at people on twitter for making fun of him

 

[ambchang]

#1 in blocks, drating (bball ref, but #4 on nba advanced stats), DWS, defensive rebound and blocks %, per 36 and per 100. 3rd in DFG%, 1st in defensive LeBron,

 

[SpursFan86]

Ausar is a tremendous defender but it's definitely just HP being contrarian to say that he's DPOY over Wemby.

 

[Sugus]

I have no idea why Miami is so insistent in labelling Wemby as just a shotblocker. Wemby absolutely warps the entire halfcourt due to his shot blocking, but he is also incredibly quick in closeouts.

I have no ill will towards Bam, I always thought of him as a rich man's Dray (yes, there I said it) but he has nowhere close to the defensive impact Wemby brings.

It's a very intentional way to set up the narrative and discredit his impact - he doesn't sound like a unanimous DPOY if you call him "just a shotblocker", there's a lot of those around, and Bam is one of them..... So they get to be "in the conversation".

It speaks volumes to how little people watch and understand basketball nowadays that this is even a conversation to begin with. It's expected from Bam and his team to "make their case", but I've seen a lot of dog shit takes about this topic from people who just don't watch the games (but might even get to vote on the awards...)

 

[wEmBoY]

Finally 2nd in MVP. Like i said he just need stats to climb.

 

[Mugen]

I'm not dignifying any argument that Wemby isn't DPOY for any other reason besides not meeting the 65 game threshold with a response tbh.

 

[Ice009]

Ausar is a tremendous defender but it's definitely just HP being contrarian to say that he's DPOY over Wemby.

I didn't know Ausar is that good. I thought his brother was supposedly a better defender. Has he always been the better between the two?