Photo: Ronald Cortes
Chris and Rob put a bow on Victor Wembanyama's sensational rookie season, and debate whether the 20-year-old phenom already deserves to win Defensive Player of the Year. To Chris, the answer is a resounding "YES", but Rob disagrees, unable to fathom the idea of how someone on a team that lost 18-straight games could possibly be touted as the league's top defender.
Chris Broussard: "I went ahead and did what so many were afraid to do... [I voted] Victor Wembanyama my Defensive Player of the Year... I'm not going to deny him what I think he clearly deserves because the team was bad... When Wembanyama was off the court, the Spurs defense was one of the worst in the league. When he was on the court, their defense was darn near top-five in the league. It was a six-point improvement in their defensive rating. For comparison, when Rudy Gobert is on the court, there is a 0.7-point change in [the Jazz] defense. When Anthony Davis is on the court, there's a 0.3-point change. Wemby is making a huge difference."
Rob Parker: "Here's why I disqualify [Wembanyama from DPOY]: if he was really a defensive force, how in the world did the Spurs lose 18 games in a row? How does a team lose 18 games in a row with the Defensive Player of the Year on it? There is no way he could get my vote on that team."