Getty Draymond Green during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 16.
Nearly a month after downplaying Victor Wembanyama‘s rookie season, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors walked back his comments by saying Wembanyama should be honored for his achievements.
“I lied. Wemby should be the Defensive Player of the Year because he is that amazing defensively,” Green said April 3 on his podcast. “The way he impacts the game on the defensive end — whether it’s off the ball, on the ball — it’s a problem. When you start driving to the hole, and like, guys may have a layup, maybe not, and they just turn out and go the other way, that’s a problem.”
But Green, who won the award in 2016-2017, didn’t always see it that way.
On March 6, Green argued that team success should supersede individual performance, suggesting that Wembanyama not be recognized because his team, the San Antonio Spurs, is tied for the league’s third worst record (18-58) through April 3.
“Wemby is 12th in the league in steals and first in blocks — and those are great numbers. And as he continues in his career, and that team gets better … I personally don’t think that it’s this year,” Green said on his podcast. “Even if Rudy Gobert wasn’t having the season that he’s having and their team having the season that they’re having, I still don’t think you can give that award to somebody who’s on the 24th best defense in the league.”
Victor Wembanyama Leads the League in Blocks
The first overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft, Wembanyama has restored the optimism of a San Antonio Spurs franchise that’s finished under .500 in five consecutive seasons and is ranked 22nd in defense this year.
At just 20 years old, he is averaging 21.2 points per game, along with 10.5 rebounds per game and a league-leading 3.5 blocks per game. Meanwhile, he’s started all 67 of the Spurs’ game, averaging 29.3 minutes per game, good for third in the league.
Green Has Switched Sides
Wembanyama has dropped to 19th in the league in steals with 86 and has a comfortable lead in blocks, to say the least.
He’s up to 235 on the season, with the next closest player being Chet Holmgren, at 178.
According to Stathead, those numbers haven’t been recorded since Anthony Davis did it with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2014-2015.
Green played against Wembanyama after the recording of the March 6 podcast. Golden State won the March 11 meeting handily, but the Spurs rookie flexed his star power.
He finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in 31 minutes.
Warriors Rolling Into Season’s End
No one counts out the Warriors once the NBA playoffs come around.
But these last few seasons, the goalposts have shifted, with Golden State doing well to make the play-in tournament.
With seven games to go, the Warriors have a three-game lead for the 10th seed in the Western Conference. They have won five straight going into their April 4 matchup against the 11th seed Houston Rockets.
Barring a catastrophic collapse, the Warriors are headed to the Play-In Tournament for the second straight year. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are their likely opponent.