In the last decade, Rudy Gobert has solidified his mark for being one of the best defenders in the history of the league. The 7’1″ Frenchman has won four DPOY awards in just seven seasons. Moreover, he’s tied with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace for the most DPOY awards in NBA history. Don’t you think it would be historic to see him register his fifth and break the record? Well, as much as everyone would love to witness this, the rookie, Victor Wembanyama is on track to not let it happen.

Wembanyama has been as impactful as he could in just his rookie season. And when it comes to making the run for the DPOY award, Wemby ranked second, behind his fellow countryman. He averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and led the league with 3.6 blocks per game. Not to mention, Gobert averaged 2.7 blocks in his best season. Regardless, the reason why Wemby stands in front of Gobert’s fifth DPOY selection is his staggering confidence.

Former NBA Cham, Metta World Peace, also known as Ron Artest, recently shared his thoughts on Wembanyama’s defense. “Well, right now I’m going Wembanyama. If I had Wembanyama on my team, I’m putting him on point guard or the center. I like him, he old school. He old school, he getting after, he wants to win the defensive player of the year. He told Rudy Gobert, I think I heard something, he said, ‘This is your last one’. You know, and I’ve really liked that. I can’t wait to see what he does but if I had to pick one guy, probably, he’s a cheat code but, I’ll probably pick Wembanyama.”, said Artest.

There is no doubt that with his current progress in place, Wembanyama is on track to win the DPOY award shortly. Not only that, but whenever the day comes, the Diesel, Shaquille O’Neal will be the most excited out of all. We’ve seen Shaq and Rudy go back and forth in the past. O’Neal recently called out Gobert for not paying hard enough. When recently asked about the worst player in the NBA, Shaq named Gobert without hesitation. He said:  “There’s a reason why I walk funny and why I can’t turn my neck and why I can’t do it because I played for my [$120 million]. So you got guys like him that f–k the system over and they’re making all this money and they can’t f—ing play. So I don’t respect guys like that.”  In response, Rudy said: “It is sad to see someone that has accomplished as much as you did
@SHAQ both in sport and business still be triggered by another man’s finances and accomplishments.” If anything, nothing would beat Wembayama’s DPOY award over Rudy Gobert in the future, especially for O’Neal. But how good of a defender is Wemby?

Apart from his 8-foot wingspan, Victor Wembanyama is extremely quick on his feet while standing 7’4″ tall. Apart from that, his on-ball defense is quite underrated. As Artest mentioned, Wemby can guard the perimeter which is quite clear after his rookie season. And the 20-year-old is just getting started. Moreover, going into his sophomore year, the Frenchman has a lot of expectations on his shoulders.

Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are all set to experiment with the guard-center duo

As the Spurs added Chris Paul to the roster, it automatically set Wemby under CP’s guidance. CP3 is often regarded as one of the best playmakers in league history. Playing alongside Wemby, it will be amazing to see the veteran throw lobs while penetrating the defense. Given their other younger assets, including Jeremy Sochan and Tre Jones, San Antonio’s rebuild has been decent so far. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what the franchise has planned for the Frenchman who is indeed their golden ticket.

The Spurs finished 14th in the West with a 22-60 record. Of course, the process will take time, but the front office will have to capitalize on the Frenchman. Fans as well as critics have a lot of expectations on #1. So far, he has never failed to impress and he’ll look to keep things that way. On the other hand, the much-awaited regular season will commence in a month. What are your thoughts on Victor Wembanyama’s candidature for winning the DPOY award? Do you think he can surpass Gobert one day? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.