Mavs' Kyrie Irving Gives Major Praise to Spurs' Victor Wembanyama as DPOY Candidate
SAN ANTONIO — During the Dallas Mavericks' 113-107 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, Victor Wembanyama made his presence felt as an interior presence anchoring his team's defense, making it challenging for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in guiding the offense throughout the night.
Irving had a strong performance, scoring 28 points while shooting 13-21 from the floor despite missing all five of his 3-point attempts. Irving picked his spots effectively in the half-court inside the arc, even when Wembanyama was on the floor. Even then, he got blocked on a reverse layup attempt at one point, using unique timing for a big man, which Irving compared to that of a guard.
“You got to be aware of him late challenging, and he has the timing of a guard," Irving said of Wembanyama. "I don’t know if it’s just he’s played against guards, but I’m just saying, I think he’s got a lot of reps of playing against good guards and guarding them one-on-one.
"Today, I thought I had a reverse layup, and he ended up blocking it on the left side because I thought he was going to be on the right side," Irving explained. "But he has this long wingspan, so he covers up a lot of space.
Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Wembanyama's impact on the Spurs garnered major praise from Irving, describing him as a worthy Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The award tends to go to a game-changing player and with Wembanyama's presence anchoring the Spurs' defense, Irving sees the characteristics and production of someone deserving of the honor.
"As a competitor and challenger, I like going in there and challenging him because if you can finish on [Victor Wembanyama], I feel like you can finish on anybody in the world," Irving said. "He’s going to block some and he’s going to make you change it, but it’s only going to make you better as a basketball player, and that’s what I want, and I think everybody should relish in that. But also be smart in challenging him, because he does bate you a lot. He does do things like a Defensive Player of the Year would."
Despite playing 29.1 minutes per game, Wembanyama has averaged an NBA-best 3.5 blocks per game while providing an average of 1.3 steals, exceeding the averages of Jaren Jackson Jr.'s Defensive Player of the Year campaign from last season. Wembanyama's production has only increased since the All-Star break, averaging 4.8 blocks and 1.8 steals in 31.8 minutes per game.
"He’s showing signs that he’s exceeded all the Defensive Player of the Year stats of the previous guys that have won it. You guys see it," Irving said. "I don’t know who they’re going to pick, but I mean, he has all the tools to be named Defensive Player of the Year. He’s for sure a candidate."
While it remains to be seen how voters will determine their choice for this year's Defensive Player of the Year, Irving struggled to pick apart Wembanyama's case for the honor, emphasizing the volume of his defensive stats.
"I don’t know how he wouldn’t be unless the games played and minutes," Irving said. "But every Defensive Player of the Year that’s won the past few years, he’s almost head and shoulder, and we still have what 15 or some odd games left? I give him credit for being such a young player but learning on the fly and doing everything he can to get his team wins.”
