I’ve never seen one player just completely fuck an opposing team’s entire offensive game plan the way he does. Players not only avoid the paint or find themselves driving or Nash dribbling out of it when they initially planned to do something on the interior, the mere fact that he’s on the court causes them to second guess what they’re doing elsewhere as well. This has to be the most no-brainer DPOY award I can think of.

Totally agree. I’d compare it to NFL terms where teams just refused to throw the ball anywhere Darrelle Revis because he was so much better than any other DB. His career stats barely paint a picture of how damn good he was.

I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care about this stats.. Being able to discourage so many players just by standing in the paint, will help him winning a lot of games.

Damn, you’re notnkidding. 26.¹⁄₁₁.⁹⁄₃.⁵⁄₁.2 steals/3.6 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game. That’s absolutely absurd, especially when you also consider his efficiency (63.5% TS% and a sub-10% turnover rate) and the fact that the Spurs are 28-2 in games he played over that span. Add into the fact that, if anything, those 1.2 steals and 3.6 blocks (in under 30 minutes per game) actually undersell his defensive impact…and man, that’s an all-time, upper echelon level of play.

And it’s not like his pre-February numbers were awful either, really just a touch lower. Dude is as close to breaking the game of basketball as we’ve seen.

“But he plays less minutes”

I really don’t get the argument that Wemby winning games and doing shit like this in less minutes is a bad thing. And sure, he’s less efficient than SGA or Jokic, but he’s twice the defender either of them are

Didn’t you hera the pundits, he has no offensive bag hes an offensive bust

You won’t find me disagreeing.

thats fact

They’re both great but it must bother Shai just a tiny bit that 99% if asked to start a team with any player would pick Wemby… screw the back to back MVP (who may have back to back titles..)

And yet the Spurs without him are 12-5, the best record of any of the MVP candidates’ teams when they don’t play, and only a couple points shy of the Spurs’ actual win %

People were discounting Luka’s MVP chances due to his defensive issues and propping up SGA for his 2 way play. Do people really undervalue defense for an MVP case?

There has been, his name was Hakeem

Defense is undervalued and Wemby is no doubt the best in the league on defense. But you’d need to weigh defense quite a bit higher than offense for Wemby to come out on top according to my model

Incoming best player in the world title next year.

Everybody would prefer the third seat over the fourth seed. San Antonio is a genuine Juggernaut. But let’s make no mistake. Neither the nuggets nor the Lakers would prefer to play the thunder and round two then San Antonio. If those two teams are healthy, they’re both going to take their chances against an inexperienced Spurs team versus the reigning NBA champions

I would normally agree with this. But aren’t the wolves not fully healthy? They also don’t look as good this year, but maybe they can flip that switch in the playoffs.

Have faith

It would be a very Jokic move to sit it out and pretend he doesn’t care

You saw how happy that man was when Houston didn’t get the #1 pick during his draft class? That shit is personal with them lmao

Like any true Texan

That’s one way to beat Bam’s 83

I think for whatever reason a large chunk of people seem to equate durability with toughness. It’s not his fault he’s injured all the time, and he’s tried to play through a number of them. Plus some of his health woes are completely bizarre flukes (appendicitis and Bell’s palsy, for example).

I think his reputation for toughness mostly suffers because of the way he played for so long.

No you see Shaq woulda played thru the appendicitis and rehabbed properly.

Wemby is very good and he will win multiple MVPs soon, but prime Shaq would fold him ngl

Now you’re just making shit up

I didn’t watch this game but he generally initiates contact and flops a decent bit