Category: Wemby

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama voted best defender in anonymous player poll

Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama was voted the best defender in the NBA in an anonymous poll of 142 players.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama was voted the best defender in the NBA in an anonymous poll of 142 players conducted by The Athletic over the last month of the season.

Wembanyama finished his first season averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals in 71 games. He led the league in blocked shots and registered the most 30-point games (11) by a rookie since Trae Young in the 2018-19 season.

The 7-footer also ranked second in defensive box plus-minus (plus-3.3), fifth in defensive win shares (4.4), eighth in rebounds and 21st in steals. He registered the most games with at least five blocks (24); the next highest player has nine (Brook Lopez).

Poll: Who is the best defender?

  1. Victor Wembanyama, Spurs: 15.2%
  2. Jrue Holiday, Boston Celtics: 12.9%
  3. Lu Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder: 9.8%
  4. Herb Jones, New Orleans Pelicans: 8.3%
  5. Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves: 8.3%

Wembanyama, who is the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year, was named a finalist on Sunday for Defensive Player of the Year, joining Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo and Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, who is the favorite to win.

The 20-year-old earned public praise from his peers throughout the year for his overall ability and skill set. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green picked him to win the award, while Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving signed off on him to be in the running for it.

Wembanyama achieved numerous other accomplishments, including becoming the youngest player in history to register a 5×5 game and recording a triple-double with blocks. In other words, he should be in store for plenty of recognition in the end-of-season awards races.

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Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama nominated for Western Conference Player of the Week

Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama was nominated for the Western Conference Player of the Week award for games played from April 1-7.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama was nominated for the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week award for games played April 1-7.

Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 15 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 6.3 blocks on 41% shooting from the field in three games. He registered a double-double in each game and neared a quadruple-double with 23 points, 15 rebounds, nine blocks and eight assists on April 2.

Kyrie Irving took home the award in the Western Conference.

The No. 1 pick led all players in blocks on the week and was fourth in rebounding. He was the only rookie nominated for the award and joined Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic and Rudy Gobert as nominees.

Wembanyama is averaging 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.3 steals in 69 games with the Spurs. He has the most 30-point games (10) by a rookie since Trae Young in the 2018-19 season and is the only rookie to register a triple-double (2) this season.

The 7-footer leads the league in blocks and is 19th in steals. He ranks third in defensive box plus-minus (plus-3.2), sixth in defensive win shares (4.2) and 10th in rebounds. He also has the most games with at least five blocks (23); the next highest player has nine (Brook Lopez).

Wembanyama is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year after a tremendous year with the Spurs. He has exceeded expectations and has established himself as a franchise cornerstone for years to come.

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Draymond Green now believes Victor Wembanyama should win Defensive Player of the Year

Victor Wembanyama is gaining momentum to win Defensive Player of the Year award and recently earned an endorsement from a former winner.

Victor Wembanyama is gaining momentum to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, and the top pick recently earned an endorsement from a former winner: Draymond Green.

Wembanyama is averaging 21.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.5 blocks and 1.3 steals in 67 games with the San Antonio Spurs. He has the most 30-point games (9) by a rookie since Trae Young in the 2018-19 season and is the only rookie to register a triple-double (2) this season.

The 7-footer leads the league in blocks and is 16th in steals. He ranks third in defensive box plus-minus (plus-3.2), sixth in defensive win shares (4.0) and eighth in rebounds. He also has the most games with at least five blocks (22); the next highest player has nine (Brook Lopez).

Green, who won the award in 2017, said last month on his podcast that he didn’t believe Wembanyama should win because the Spurs were ranked 26th in defense. He has since reversed course and believes Wembanyama should win it this year.

I know I said on here a little while back that Wemby shouldn’t be the Defensive Player of the Year and I lied: Wemby should be the Defensive Player of the Year because he is that amazing defensively. The way he impacts the game on the defensive end — whether it is off the ball (or) on the ball — is a problem. When you start driving to the hole and guys may have a layup and they just turn out and go the other way? That’s a problem. … I don’t know what lab he was created in, but I need to go create me a son in that lab because dude is unbelievable.

According to the BetMGM Sportsbook, Wembanyama is second in odds (plus-750) to win Defensive Player of the Year, trailing only Minnesota center Rudy Gobert (minus-2500). Gobert is a three-time winner and last took home the honors in 2021.

In addition to Green, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving recently signed off on Wembanyama winning the award, given his body of work on the defensive end of the court this season. Irving believes Wembanyama has the tools to be a consistent contender each year.

The late push by Wembanyama for the award will likely fall short, but the 20-year-old is looking forward to competing against Gobert for it in the future given their connection. He knows his time is coming to win the award.

“I know that Rudy has a very good chance of winning it this year, and it would be deserved,” Wembanyama said on March 14, via Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “Let him win it now because after that, it’s no longer his turn.”

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Spurs’ Wembanyama, Hornets’ Miller named rookies of the month for third straight time

Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller for the third straight time have been named the Rookies of the Month for March.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama and Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller were named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference rookies of the month, respectively, for the third straight time.

Wembanyama became the first Spurs rookie to win three months in a row since Tim Duncan after averaging 23.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 1.2 steals in 12 games. He led all rookies in scoring, rebounding and blocks in March.

Miller averaged 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 14 games, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to win three times. He was second among rookies in scoring and led all first-year players in 3-pointers (42).

Wembanyama registered five 30-point games, the most by a rookie in a calendar month since LeBron James in December 2003. He produced a career-high 40 points and 20 rebounds on March 29, becoming the first rookie since Shaquille O’Neal in 1993 to reach that mark.

Miller was the third-fastest Hornets rookie to surpass 1,000 career points after reaching that mark on March 15 (60 games). He later registered his third 30-point game of the season after recording 31 points with a career-high seven 3s on March 27.

Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II and Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson were also nominated for the award from the West. Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick, Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Hornets forward Vasilije Micić were also nominated in the East.

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Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama fined for postgame action in Knicks win

Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama has been fined $25,000 for throwing the game ball into the spectator stands.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama has been fined $25,000 for throwing the game ball into the spectator stands, the NBA announced on Sunday.

The incident occurred on Friday following a 130-126 overtime win over the New York Knicks at Frost Bank Center. Wembanyama held onto the ball as time expired in the overtime session, then promptly let it go to celebrate with the home crowd.

Wembanyama joked in his postgame press conference that “somebody else” would pay for it, likely not aware of the penalty for throwing the ball into the stands. The fine will automatically be deducted from his next paycheck.

Wembanyama recorded a career-high 40 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block in the win. He became the first rookie to register a 40-20 game since Shaquille O’Neal had 46 points and 21 rebounds with the Orlando Magic on Feb. 16, 1993.

He is the second-youngest player with such a stat line (20 years, 85 days).

The epic display by Wembanyama was enough to be one of the top performances across the league, but the 7-footer was outdueled by Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who had a career-high 61 points. It was the sixth-highest output in the NBA this season.

Wembanyama is averaging 21 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.4 blocks and 1.2 steals on 46.8% shooting from the field in 65 games. He leads the NBA in blocks and also tops the rookie class in points, rebounds and steals this season.

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Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama joins Shaq in history after 40-20 outburst

Wembanyama produced another historic performance, and joined Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal in some rare company in a win over the Knicks.

Victor Wembanyama produced another historic performance and joined Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal in rare company while leading the San Antonio Spurs to a win over the New York Knicks.

Wembanyama recorded a career-high 40 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block on Friday in a 130-126 overtime victory. He went 13-of-22 from the field, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, in 37 minutes of work at Frost Bank Center.

The top pick became the first rookie to register a 40-20 game since O’Neal had 46 points and 21 rebounds with the Orlando Magic on Feb. 16, 1993. He is the second-youngest player to record such a stat line (20 years, 85 days).

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was impressed with the effort.

It just shows what he is going to be when he understands all of the physicality that is coming to him all of the time and what to do about it. Fortunately, he is also a hell of an instinctive passer and is willing to do what he needs to do in that regard. He is pretty special.

The Spurs appeared to be cruising toward an easy win after leading by 21 points in the first half. The Knicks responded by outscoring the Spurs 64-47 in the second half to force their first overtime game of the season. Wembanyama had five points in the extra time to lead the Spurs.

The epic display by Wembanyama was one of the top performances across the league on Friday, but the 7-footer was upstaged by Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who had a career-high 61 points. It was the sixth-highest output in the NBA this season.

Wembanyama was happy to see his team hold on down the stretch.

I’m proud of us for controlling the game. Of course, they came back in the third quarter, but it is expected from a team like this. We knew how to control the game, so that was good. (It was) a heartfelt battle. I feel good because they’re a very good team, especially defensively. It just shows our progression.

Wembanyama is averaging 21 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.4 blocks and 1.2 steals on 46.8% shooting from the field in 65 games. He leads the NBA in blocks and also tops the rookie class in points, rebounds and steals this season.

He is the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year after achieving numerous accomplishments, including becoming the youngest player in history to register a 5×5 game and recording a triple-double with blocks. He has also won Rookie of the Month twice.

Wembanyama is pleased when he can have games like those.

“It isn’t the goal, but it still shows progress,” Wembanyama said. “The more of those accolades I can get, the more I will get. Of course, it’s also one of my convictions to be always unique and different and do things never seen before.”

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Kyrie Irving believes Victor Wembanyama can win Defensive Player of the Year: ‘He is for sure a candidate’

Victor Wembanyama is making a late push for Defensive Player of the Year and recently earned an endorsement from Kyrie Irving.

Victor Wembanyama is making a late push to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, and the top pick recently earned an endorsement from Kyrie Irving.

Wembanyama is averaging 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 blocks and 1.3 steals on 46.4% shooting from the field in 61 games with the San Antonio Spurs. He is the only rookie to register a triple-double (2) this season and leads all first-year players in 30-point games (6).

The 7-footer leads the league in blocks and is third in defensive box plus-minus (plus-3.0), 10th in defensive win shares (3.5) and 12th in rebounds. He also leads all players in games with at least five blocks (20); the next highest player has nine (Brook Lopez).

Irving believes he should absolutely be in contention for the award.

He does do things like a Defensive Player of the Year would. He is showing signs that he has exceeded all of the Defensive Player of the Year stats previous to guys that have won it. You guys see it. I don’t know who they’re going to pick, but he has all the tools to be named Defensive Player of the Year. He is for sure a candidate.

I don’t know how he wouldn’t be unless the (number of) games played and minutes but every Defensive Player of the Year that has won in the past few years, he’s almost head and shoulders (above them), and we still have what, 15 or some odd games left? I give him credit for being such a young player but learning on the fly and doing everything he can to get his team wins.

According to the BetMGM Sportsbook, Wembanyama is second in odds (plus-350) to win Defensive Player of the Year, trailing only Minnesota center Rudy Gobert (minus-500). Gobert is a three-time winner and last took home the honors in 2021.

The two Frenchmen share a close connection because of their roots. Wembanyama looks to Gobert as a mentor, and the veteran often helps him by offering advice and other bits of information. Gobert has also commended him for his approach and work ethic in the past.

The late push by Wembanyama for the award will likely fall short, but the 20-year-old is looking forward to competing against Gobert for it in the future. He knows his time is coming.

“I know that Rudy has a very good chance of winning it this year, and it would be deserved,” Webanyama said on March 14, via Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “Let him win it now because after that, it’s no longer his turn.”

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Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama: ‘I don’t see my progression stopping any time soon’

Victor Wembanyama is putting up historic numbers this season with the Spurs and once again had another impressive outing on Sunday.

Victor Wembanyama is putting up historic numbers this season with the San Antonio Spurs, and the No. 1 pick had another impressive outing on Sunday.

Wembanyama produced a game-high 33 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocked shots in a 122-115 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets in Austin. He went 14-of-26 from the field, including 1-of-4 from 3-point range, in 36 minutes.

The 20-year-old became the first player in history to record at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five blocks on 50% shooting from the field. He is the youngest player to reach those numbers in a game, surpassing Shaquille O’Neal (21 years, 321 days).

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is impressed with his performance.

He is a multitalented young man and is going to show us things that none of us have never seen before. He is getting more and more solid, more and more disciplined, and more and more used to the contact that he gets and the attention that he gets. It is a tough position for him to be in but he handles it with class and pretty good smarts.

Wembanyama is averaging 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 blocks and 1.3 steals on 46.7% shooting from the field in 60 games. He leads the NBA in blocks and also tops the rookie class in points, rebounds and steals this season.

The 7-footer is also the only rookie to register a triple-double (2) this season and leads all first-year players in 30-point games (6); the next closest players are Chet Holmgren and Keyonte George, who each have three such performances.

Wembanyama believes his best is yet to come.

“It is a day-by-day thing, but what is for sure is I’m not even close from being at my best,” Wembanyama said. “I don’t see my progression stopping any time soon, so it is good for my confidence. There is a lot to correct and adjust.”

Wembanyama is the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year after achieving numerous accomplishments, including becoming the youngest player in history to register a 5×5 game and recording a triple-double with blocks. He has also won Rookie of the Month twice.

He has surpassed expectations this season and has turned in an impressive rookie campaign. He appears to be the future of the NBA and wants to continue building on his successful year.

“Looking back on the season, I can see our progression, but also my progression,” Wembanyama said. “Even though it feels like it is little by little every game, when you do it every day after a whole season, it adds up to something big.”

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Damian Lillard names the biggest surprise about Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama has dazzled throughout his rookie campaign and recently earned high praise from Damian Lillard.

Victor Wembanyama has dazzled throughout his rookie campaign with the San Antonio Spurs, and the top pick has earned high praise from the top players in the NBA.

Damian Lillard was the latest to chime in.

Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks faced Wembanyama twice this season, winning both. Though Wembanyama missed the first meeting, Lillard had the opportunity to see the 7-footer up close in the second game on Jan. 4 and walked away impressed.

The eight-time All-Star spoke Friday on the “Dan Patrick Show” about Wembanyama and gave a detailed scouting report on what he has seen from the 20-year-old this season.

I think he is special. The first thing you think is height. I could see that he was clearly a good basketball player, but there was just so much hype around him that you were like, ‘Man, he is so tall and long. The game is so fast, how is he going to do in the NBA?’ Then you see he has a little twitch with him. Even though he is tall and lanky, he moves quick. He is fluid and is doing things you just haven’t seen somebody at that size do before.

I think we’ve always been extremely impressed with Kevin Durant doing it at 6-foot-11, now you have a dude who is 7-foot-5 doing the same thing. It is just getting crazy. I think Wemby is special. I think how competitive he is is what surprised me the most and that’s what makes me think that very soon I can see him being the best player in the league.

Wembanyama is averaging 20.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.4 blocks and 1.3 steals on 46.7% shooting from the field in 58 games. He leads the league in blocks and is also first in points, rebounds and steals among the rookie class.

The Frenchman is the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year after achieving numerous accomplishments, including becoming the youngest player in history to register a 5×5 game and recording a triple-double with blocks. He has also won Rookie of the Month twice.

Wembanyama surpassed expectations this season and has turned in an impressive rookie campaign. With 16 games left to play, Wembanyama has established himself as the franchise cornerstone and looks to be in store for a long career.

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Spurs rule out rookie Victor Wembanyama for 2nd straight game with injury

Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama will not play Saturday on the road against the Warriors due to a sprained right ankle.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama will not play Saturday on the road against the Golden State Warriors due to a sprained right ankle, the team announced.

Wembanyama returned to San Antonio on Tuesday to seek further medical evaluation on the ankle and isn’t with the team. He is expected to be available to play on Monday when the Spurs host the Warriors to begin an eight-game homestand, which includes two games in Austin.

The top pick has missed seven games this season, including six due to issues with that ankle. The team previously put him on a minute restriction that prevented him from playing in back-to-back games. He had played 21 straight games before sitting on Thursday.

Wembanyama is the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year after averaging 20.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.4 blocks and 1.3 steals in 56 games. He leads the rookie class in points, rebounds and blocks and is the only first-year player with four 30-point games.

The 7-footer has put up some rare stat lines, from recording a triple-double with blocks to recording the second-fastest triple-double in history. He recently became the youngest player to record a 5×5 game, with at least five points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

The organization has been cautious with Wembanyama regarding his workload and injuries and will continue to do so over the remainder of the season.

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