Victor Wembanyama’s earnestness is one of his most endearing qualities, and he put it on display again Saturday after going off for 32 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and four blocks in the San Antonio Spurs‘ 115-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Speaking to the broadcast after the game, Wembanyama expressed his desire to take home some major hardware this season.
“Right now in my mind is taking great care of my body cause I also want to win the MVP, and the Defensive Player of the Year,” Wembanyama said. “So I’m trying to press the gas from now until the end of the season. Really take care of my treatment, take care of my sleep, take care of my routine and show up for my team.”
Only five players in NBA history have won MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in their career: Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Kevin Garnett and Giannis Antetokounmpo. There’s a good chance that Wembanyama eventually becomes the sixth; he’s that talented. He may even win both of them in the same season before his career is over, which only Jordan, Olajuwon and Antetokounmpo have done. It’s unlikely that he’ll do so this season — for two reasons.
Wembanyama up against NBA’s games played requirement
Ahead of the 2023-24 season, the NBA introduced a new rule that required players to play in a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for major awards, including MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA honors. The rule was put in place to limit load management, but has led to consternation among fans, players and teams.
Wembanyama has already missed 15 games — 12 in November due to a calf strain, two in January due to a hyperextended knee and one due to a sore ankle — which puts him right up against the games played requirement, and at risk of missing out on awards for the second straight season (he only played 46 games last season, largely due to a blood clot).
Can Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs win the title? They’d have to upend 50 years of NBA history to do so
Robby Kalland
Wembanyama can only miss two of the Spurs’ 15 remaining games. He clearly wants to play in every game down the stretch, but he has very little wiggle room at this point and there’s a good chance that the Spurs are locked into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference well before the end of the season.
Wembanyama has uphill climb to MVP
Wembanyama is a -1200 favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, per Caesars, and if he plays enough to be eligible for awards, he’s going to win that award.
He’s leading the league in blocks per game (3.0), is second in defensive rebounds (9.2) and singlehandedly warps the floor for opponents. When he’s on the court, the Spurs have a 107.5 defensive rating and opponents shoot just 59.5% at the rim (7.2% below the league average, per databallr).
The MVP, though, is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s to lose. The reigning MVP is averaging 31.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists on 55.4/38.3/89.5 shooting splits, and seemingly locked up the award earlier this week with a brilliant performance against the Denver Nuggets. He is now -850 to go back-to-back, while Wembanyama has the second-best odds at +1100.
The only chance Wembanyama has to win MVP this season is if Gilgeous-Alexander ends up falling short of the games played requirement himself. That is unlikely, however, as Gilgeous-Alexander has already played 55 games and only has to play in 10 of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 15 remaining games to be eligible.
