Even as a rookie, Victor Wembanyama is making a strong case to win the Defensive Player of the Year for the San Antonio Spurs this season. Turns out, the Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving has somehow endorsed the French phenom.
Irving got to see Wembanyama’s brilliance on the defensive end of the court when the Mavericks got the 113-107 win over San Antonio. Although the rookie performed poorly by dropping 12 points on 23 percent shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, and three assists, the French star still had six blocks.
On the other hand, Irving posted 28 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. His performance was timely due to Luka Doncic having an off-night of 18 points on 22 percent shooting from the field, 10 rebounds, and 16 assists.
In the end, the San Antonio Spurs took their 54th loss of the season to go along with their 15 wins. The Mavericks, on the other hand, took hold of the Western Conference’s seventh seed as the regular season only has less than a month to go.
Dallas Mavericks Star Kyrie Irving Endorses San Antonio Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama as Defensive Player of the Year
After the game, Irving spoke to reporters and mentioned how Wembanyama’s presence is a boon for San Antonio’s defense. The point guard shares more in an article written by Grant Afseth for SI.com:
“You got to be aware of him late challenging, and he has the timing of a guard,” Irving said of Wembanyama. “I don’t know if it’s just he’s played against guards, but I’m just saying, I think he’s got a lot of reps of playing against good guards and guarding them one-on-one,” Afseth wrote.
Over the course of 61 NBA games, Wembanyama has averaged 1.3 steals and is currently leading the NBA in blocks by rejecting 3.5 shots per contest. He’s also posting 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on a nightly basis.
The NBA will soon announce this year’s DPOY awardee and it looks like Brook Lopez is a leading candidate. If Wemby wins the said award, expect a lot of hype to rain down on the Spurs rookie.
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