Victor Wembanyama might be one of the most praised athletes in today’s NBA, having heard from nearly every corner of the media what the 21-year-old already knows. He’s dominant — not just offensively, but defensively — and has transformed the San Antonio Spurs in ways the franchise could only imagine. The team is off to an undefeated start to the 2025–26 regular season, and Wembanyama is the driving force behind it.
Fans are already labeling him as this season’s MVP favorite or predicting he’ll capture his first Defensive Player of the Year award. But perhaps the highest praise came from a former DPOY and four-time NBA champion — Draymond Green.
“If he stays at this pace, at this level now, he’s gonna be like MVP, DPOY, and Most Improved… he’s gonna be in a position to compete for all those awards,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show. “You can only sit and wonder — what type of player is it going to take to guard him?”
Through his first four games, Wembanyama is putting up video game numbers: 31.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 4.8 blocks, all on 60% shooting from the field. He became the first player in NBA history to record 100+ points, 30+ rebounds, and 10+ blocks through the first three games of a season. To answer Green’s question of who can guard him — the answer, simply, is nobody.
Opponents are shooting just 29.7% when guarded by Wembanyama. When he’s off them, that number skyrockets to 50.2% — a nearly 21% difference. Offenses are deliberately avoiding him when attacking the paint, recognizing that scoring over a 7-foot-4 obstacle is nearly impossible. In Monday night’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors, there were at least ten possessions where Raptors players passed up open looks when guarded by Wembanyama, leading to either turnovers or missed opportunities.
Whether or not Wembanyama can realistically win all three awards remains to be seen — no player in NBA history has ever achieved that. Only three players have won both the regular-season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. The real question now is just how much better he can get compared to last year.
So far, every major statistic — points, rebounds, steals, blocks, and field-goal percentage — is up from his rookie campaign. His turnover rate has nearly been cut in half, and he’s been even more efficient while playing one minute less per game. If the Spurs can secure a top seed in the Western Conference, they’ll be back in the playoff picture for the first time since 2019.
Victor Wembanyama might just become the centerpiece of NBA history — the first and only player to accomplish the impossible.
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