MILWAUKEE — MVP chatter centered on Victor Wembanyama has increased after he stated his case for why he should be the MVP.
Here’s what longtime NBA reporter Shaun Powell wrote about Wembanyama:
His case: Wembanyama is transforming into a historic defender in such a short period of time. Usually, that’s the toughest part of the game for a young player to master. Wembanyama is different in that he entered the league with solid defensive instincts and, coupled with his enviable size, is making a massive impact here in his third season.
He has 17 blocks in his last three games and is averaging nearly as many blocks per game this season as the Utah Jazz (3.8 bpg), Denver Nuggets (3.9) and Milwaukee Bucks (3.9) are as a team this season. Finally, Wembanyama is doing this despite averaging under 30 minutes a night. His stats would expand with more minutes.
Wembanyama laid out his argument for why he should win the Michael Jordan Trophy after a 26-point, 15-rebound, five-block, stat-sheet-stuffing performance in Monday night’s 136-111 win at Miami. He also had four assists, doing all of it in just 26 minutes.
“My first one would be that defense is 50 percent of the game and that is undervalued so far in the MVP race because I believe I’m the most impactful player defensively in the league,” Wembanyama said. “Second argument would be that we almost swept OKC in the season and we dominated them three times with their real team and four times with more rotation players. And my third argument would be that offensive impact is not just points.”