There is no NBA postseason award that comes close to running up, but if one player pulls away from the lead for an award it is Victor Wembanyama for Defensive Player of the Year.
If you wonder why, watch all 10 of his blocks against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
ALL TEN OF WEMBY’S REJECTIONS
30 points.
10 blocks.
7 corrections.
4 three.First player in NBA history age 20 or younger to record multiple games of 10+ blocks! pic.twitter.com/v95tWB0QgT
– NBA (@NBA) December 22, 2024
Wembanyama leads the NBA in total blocks (87) and blocks per game (3.8), but that doesn’t do justice to the number of shots he deflects or blocks in a full circle. It is also mobile enough to do some turning on the area and has guards because of its length. With that, the Spurs defense is 8.7 points per 100 possessions better when on the court.
Wembanyama also finished with 30 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including four 3-pointers, and hit the line 11 times against Portland.
An interesting test of Wembanyama’s defense will come on Christmas Day against the New York Knicks, the second best offense in the NBA and with five stretch Karl-Anthony Towns, who could pull Wembanyama off the basket.
