Nearly a month after downplaying Victor Wembanyama‘s rookie season, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors walked back his comments by saying Wembanyama should be honored for his achievements.
“I lied. Wemby should be the Defensive Player of the Year because he is that amazing defensively,” Green said April 3 on his podcast. “The way he impacts the game on the defensive end — whether it’s off the ball, on the ball — it’s a problem. When you start driving to the hole, and like, guys may have a layup, maybe not, and they just turn out and go the other way, that’s a problem.”
But Green, who won the award in 2016-2017, didn’t always see it that way.
On March 6, Green argued that team success should supersede individual performance, suggesting that Wembanyama not be recognized because his team, the San Antonio Spurs, is tied for the league’s third worst record (18-58) through April 3.
“Wemby is 12th in the league in steals and first in blocks — and those are great numbers. And as he continues in his career, and that team gets better … I personally don’t think that it’s this year,” Green said on his podcast. “Even if Rudy Gobert wasn’t having the season that he’s having and their team having the season that they’re having, I still don’t think you can give that award to somebody who’s on the 24th best defense in the league.”
Victor Wembanyama Leads the League in Blocks
The first overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft, Wembanyama has restored the optimism of a San Antonio Spurs franchise that’s finished under .500 in five consecutive seasons and is ranked 22nd in defense this year.
At just 20 years old, he is averaging 21.2 points per game, along with 10.5 rebounds per game and a league-leading 3.5 blocks per game. Meanwhile, he’s started all 67 of the Spurs’ game, averaging 29.3 minutes per game, good for third in the league.
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