Draymond Green is not a fan of Victor Wembanyama's Defensive Player of the Year candidacy.
The Spurs phenom has spearheaded Gregg Popovich's defense this season, leading the league in blocks while also being among the league leaders in steals. And while it's been a sour year for San Antonio, which sits at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 13-49 record, the team hasn't been awful on the defensive side of the ball.
After ranking 30th last season, the Spurs currently rank 22nd in defensive rating (117.2), better than prospective Play-In contenders Dallas, Indiana, Atlanta and Utah. Given the fact that they were quite literally the worst defense in league history last year, that's not too shabby.
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Wemby is a big reason for San Antonio's improvement — his sprawling frame and anticipatory skills serve as an effective deterrent to some of the league's most explosive attacks. Green isn't quite convinced he's deserving of The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, though.
Speaking on his podcast, "The Draymond Green Show," Green rebuffed suggestions that Wembanyama could be named the league's best defender.
"I still don't think you can give that award to somebody who's on the 24th-best defense in the league," Green said.
Green knows a thing or two about sparkling defensive showcases. He's a former winner of the award himself, capturing the honor in 2017. He's also been named to eight All-Defensive Teams in his career.
The four-time NBA champion has no doubt that Wemby will be contending for the title of world's best defender soon. He told his social media following that Wembanyama should reside near the top of the league's rankings in blocks and steals for the foreseeable future. When it comes to this season, however, he feels there are more deserving candidates — ones who play for more competitive sides.
One person Green cited was Rudy Gobert. The Stifle Tower has long been considered the cream of the crop among shot-altering bigs. It's a reputation bore out by the fact that he has three DPOYs, one fewer than the league record, which is jointly held by Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo.
Gobert has an especially enticing DPOY case. His Timberwolves are surging, holding the second-best record in basketball. And although it's easy to get caught up in the elegant excellence of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, Gobert is the straw that stirs the drink on the defensive end, leading the league in individual defensive rating (104.1). Wembanyama is third behind Gobert and Evan Mobley.
Green compared Wemby picking up the hardware to that of Jayson Tatum winning MVP, an interesting equivocation given the fact that Wemby plays for one of the league's worst sides and Tatum plays for the NBA's best.
"If you are doing that, well, then you gotta move the needle back for Jayson Tatum," Green said. "It can't be, 'Oh man, they gotta win a championship before Jayson Tatum can win MVP.' You've got to move that needle back because clearly, we're just moving the needle whenever we feel like we can."
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By and large, Defensive Player of the Year is awarded to those making waves on top-five defenses. Minnesota has the best in the league by way of defensive rating (108.0) and opponent points per game (106.5). As such, Gobert would be a perfectly valid and deserving winner of the hardware.
However, don't be surprised if Wemby ends up performing well in voting. His time is on the horizon. It seems those around the league are taking notice, too.
