NBA (DR) / SKWEEK (DR)
Soon to be named rookie of the year with a large lead, Victor Wembanyama is also one of the favorites for a DPOY title, his first.
Asked about the subject, Joakim Noah was honest.
Victor Wembanyama has had a pretty crazy campaign with Spurs, despite a rather disappointing record.
The Frenchman will be crowned rookie of the year ahead of Chet Holmgren and Brandon Miller, while some fans go much further: for quite a few people, Wemby even deserves to win the DPOY title, ahead of Rudy Gobert.
It must be said that Wemby leads the NBA in blocks (3.6 per game), while his defensive prowess is numerous this season.
He has a good defensive rating, but overthrowing Gobert, considered the favorite at the moment, will be almost an impossible mission.
The first trends for this trophy confirm this.
Joakim Noah decides between Gobert and Wembanyama
But some people are convinced that Victor deserves his chance for the DPOY, despite a fairly poor collective record.
We’re not just talking about the 22 victories, but the fact that San Antonio finds itself among the worst collective defenses in this campaign
. And this is important for Joakim Noah, visiting Udonis Haslem’s podcast, “the OGs”.
Joakim Noah on a possible DPOY of Victor Wembanyama : “Hats off to Wemby honestly.
What he does on a basketball floor today, I’ve never seen that. But I’m still going to say no, because you have to have one of the best defenses as a team.
It must. Individually, is he the best defensively? Yes. »
“Except that when you’re on the inside, it’s up to you to lead the others. That matters.
Countering is good, but I want to know how you impact victories. (…) I understand that there is an individual part, but it is a team sport.
You don’t win this trophy alone. He will win a lot of trophies like this, but priority on team defense. »
For Noah, Wembanyama therefore does not deserve the title of DPOY, not with a worrying defense for the Spurs.
We imagine that many will approve, especially as there is still time for Wemby to win the defender of the year several times. His domination is only just beginning.
Joakim Noah decided for the DPOY of Victor Wembanyama, and there is no doubt that he is not the only one to think like this today.
Too bad for the Frenchman, who will return with a little more motivation next October.
