Yardbarker
x
Draymond Green endorses Victor Wembanyama for NBA DPOY
Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50) drives to the net against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Draymond Green endorses Victor Wembanyama for NBA DPOY

As of April 4, the Spurs have an 18-58 record and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league. Ordinarily, it would be rather ludicrous to reward a player from such a squad as the Defensive Player of the Year. However, Victor Wembanyama could end up being the anomaly. 

Every advanced metric suggests that the Spurs are an elite defensive team when Wemby is on the floor and a hapless one when he's off. The stats notwithstanding, every marquee name in the league who has shared the court with the Spurs phenom has raved about his defensive impact.

You can now add Draymond Green, a former Defensive Player of the Year himself, to the growing list. On Wednesday's "Draymond Green Show," the Warriors star explained why Wemby had done enough to win the award and shouldn't be penalized for the struggles of his teammates. 

"Wemby is definitely the Defensive Player of the Year," Green declared. "The way he impacts the game on the defensive end, whether it's off the ball or on the ball — it's a problem. When you drive into the hoop, and if guys may or may not have a layup, they see Wemby and just go the other way. That's a blocked shot in a sense. Obviously, team record matters. But it's not quite Wemby's fault...I don't know what lab he was created in, but I need to go create me a son in that lab because dude is unbelievable."

Green isn't alone. Others such as Gilbert Arenas and Dennis Scott have also made the case for Wembanyama to win the award.

For context, no rookie has won the Defensive Player of the Year in NBA history. The last rookie to make an All-Defensive team was the great Tim Duncan in 1997-98. 

The closest a rookie ever got to winning DPOY was Manute Bol, who finished second in the voting behind Alvin Robertson in 1985-86.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.