Victor Wembanyama enters his fourth NBA campaign with expectations that extend beyond another individual honor. Draymond Green sees the San Antonio Spurs star collecting two of basketball’s biggest awards in 2026-27, provided his health allows him to finish the job.
“With his impact defensively and offensively, the only thing that can stop him from MVP this year is injury,” Green said.
That prediction carries a clear distinction. Green did not identify another contender or a missing element in Wembanyama’s game as the deciding factor. He pointed exclusively to availability, expressing confidence that Wembanyama already possesses the tools to claim MVP.
Green also offered an emphatic answer when asked whether Wembanyama would collect Defensive Player of the Year alongside it.
“1000% I think he takes home both of them this year.”
Together, those comments place Wembanyama in pursuit of a combination that few players have achieved. They also echo the confidence NBA executives expressed in their preseason assessment of the Spurs and their centerpiece.
“With his impact defensively and offensively, the only thing that can stop him from MVP this year is injury.”
On whether he wins DPOY too:
“1000% I think he takes home both of them this year.”
#GoSpursGo #PorVidaDraymond Green backs Victor Wembanyama for an award double
Green brings his own experience with elite defense to the prediction. His résumé includes a DPOY trophy, four All-Star selections, and two appearances on All-NBA teams.
He now expects Wembanyama to pair defensive recognition with the league’s top individual honor. Giannis Antetokounmpo most recently accomplished that double during Milwaukee’s 2019-20 campaign.
Wembanyama already has a substantial foundation for that pursuit. Through three seasons, he has reached the NBA Finals, earned All-Star recognition twice, and collected a DPOY award.
An MVP would add another distinction to that résumé. Winning both awards would require him to turn Green’s assessment of his influence at either end into a season that earns recognition across both races.
The prediction also raises the standard beyond defending an existing honor. Green expects Wembanyama to repeat as the league’s leading defender while making the strongest overall case for MVP.
His injury caveat remains central to that endorsement. Rather than qualify the prediction with questions about development, Green described health as the factor that could interrupt it.
NBA general managers share the confidence in Wembanyama
The preseason GM survey, published Thursday, offered another indication of the expectations surrounding Wembanyama, Yahoo reports.
He led the voting for DPOY and received a majority of the MVP selections. Executives also identified San Antonio as their championship favorite, extending their confidence from an individual player to his team.
Those selections outline an even larger possibility than Green’s award prediction: an MVP, a DPOY trophy, and a championship in one campaign.
Hakeem Olajuwon achieved that combination in 1993-94. Wembanyama, who turns 23 on January 4, enters this season with executives forecasting each part of that demanding pursuit.
The survey did not place him above every competitor in every category, however. More general managers chose Nikola Jokic as the NBA’s best center, even as Wembanyama commanded the stronger MVP forecast.
That distinction separates their evaluation of the position from their expectations for the coming season.
For Green, the prediction came with no such hesitation. He backed Wembanyama for both awards and named one potential interruption: injury.
Draymond Green Names One Obstacle To Victor Wembanyama Winning MVP