France has done a pretty good job at churning out centers who dominate on the defensive end of the floor. For years, the NBA’s most imposing paint protector has been Rudy Gobert, and while he’s still as good as anyone in the league at doing that, Victor Wembayama is going to take that title sooner rather than later. Already in his rookie year, Wembanyama is a marvel on defense, as he uses his size, length, and athleticism to protect the rim and jump passing lanes like few we’ve ever seen.
It’s very hard to see a future where Wembanyama isn’t named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year during his career, but this year, Gobert is the favorite to earn that award for the fourth time. Wembanyama got asked about this recently, and while he admitted he’d be happy to see Gobert win the award this year, he made clear that he’s coming for it going forward.
🎙️Victor Wembanyama sur le titre du défenseur de l’année : « C’est sûr que ça m’intéresse, c’est une récompense que je veux gagner dans le futur ».
« Rudy (Gobert) a de très grosses chances de le gagner cette année. Ce serait mérité mais qu’il le gagne maintenant car après ce ne… pic.twitter.com/TdB99oPEf9
— Théo Quintard (@TheoQuintard) March 14, 2024
Asked in French by @TheoQuintard about contending for the DPOY, Wemby responded with this:
“I know that Rudy (Gobert) has a very good chance of winning it this year, and it would be deserved. Let him win it now, because after that it's no longer his turn."
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) March 14, 2024
Wembanyama did chuckle as he said that Gobert’s turn is going to be over soon, so it’s very possible this was a joke that he felt comfortable making because it’s his national team teammate. Having said that, he is also correct and he made clear that he wants to win DPOY during his career, so we wouldn’t be surprised if he enters next year as the NBA’s favorite to win the award.
