Victor Wembanyama’s rookie campaign saw him competing with veteran defender Rudy Gobert for the Defensive Player of the Year honors. Towards the end of the campaign, the San Antonio Spurs rookie admitted that he would probably lose out on the award against Gobert. However, he promised to come back stronger from next year on.
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Metta World Peace was very impressed with Wemby’s comments on Rudy Gobert. Formerly known as Ron Artest, Metta Standiford-Artest or Metta World Peace came into the league back in 1999. In his 17-year career, Artest won a DPOY award and made the All-Defensive Team four times.
As an elite defender himself, the Lakers legend was asked to name one current player he would choose to guard Kevin Durant or any other elite scorer in the NBA during an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
Without any hesitation, Metta chose Wembanyama as the player he’d pick to defend the best players in the league. The Frenchman’s old school approach to defense really made him the ideal candidate for MWP.
The 6’7 forward also tipped his hat to Wemby over his stance after missing out on the Defensive Player of the Year award this year.
“I like him, he’s old school. He’s old school. He getting after it. He wants to win the Defensive Player of the Year. He told Rudy Gobert, I think I heard something he said, ‘This is your last one’. You know?” MWP said.
“[Victor Wembanyama] wants to wins DPOY”@MettaWorld37 tells @SamMitchellNBA & @RickKamlaSports that Wemby is his top defender in the league. pic.twitter.com/twAMTNkITg
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 19, 2024
Metta went on to add, “And I really like that. I can’t wait to see what he does. But if I had to pick one guy, obviously who is a cheat code but I’ll probably pick Wembanyama.”
Being a defensive-minded player for the most of his career, MWP loved Wemby’s hard-nosed approach. Not only was he impressed with the Spurs star’s emphasis on the less glamorous side of the game, but also the way he conducted himself off the court.
Wemby vs Gobert in the DPOY race
Gobert won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award this past season. While his numbers were decent, many felt that Wembanyama was robbed of the DPOY honors by the league.
In the 2023-24 NBA season, Gobert averaged 2.1 blocks and 0.7 steals per game. His total came up to 162 blocks and 52 steals. On the other hand, Wemby averaged 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game this past season. The Spurs rookie recorded 254 blocks and 88 steals.
Despite the disparity in season average, Gobert took home the DPOY honors, probably on the basis of his team’s record in the regular season. Wemby lost out because of the Spurs’ underwhelming ranking in the West.
Wemby called his shot earlier this season 👽
(via @BasketNews_com) pic.twitter.com/WDTpl9hZQo
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 7, 2024
During an interview with TheRinger, Wemby talked about his defense.
“Defense has always been an aspect of the game where I felt comfortable. I’m curious to see it. And I’m waiting to be challenged as well by my coaches, by my teammates, to get new, bigger roles. Maybe being able to guard every position.”
Based on the performance he had this past season, Wembanyama is going to be a scary sight for opposing teams both on the offensive and the defensive end, and it is only a matter of time before he lays claim to the DPOY award.
