Kyrie Irving’s Dallas Mavericks barely survived the lowly San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. Behind the eight-time All-Star’s 28 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line, plus seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, Dallas eked out a 113-107 nailbiter finish at the Frost Bank Center. After the game, Irving singled out superstar-in-training Spurs rookie center Victor Wembanyama.
Per Paul Garcia of Project Spurs, Irving explained to gathered media postgame why the 7’4″ first-year big man, on the team with the worst record in the Western Conference at 15-54, warranted legitimate Defensive Player of the Year consideration. Irving isn’t the first to claim this. Though it’s a bit of an unorthodox concept, that such a great defender would be leading a losing program, his contentions are sound.
“You got to be aware of him late challenging, and he has the timing of a guard,” Irving explained. “I don’t know if it’s just he’s played against guards, but I’m just saying, I think he’s got a lot of reps of playing against good guards and guarding them one-on-one. Today, I thought I had a reverse layup and he ended up blocking it on the left side because I thought he was going to be on the right side. But he has this long wingspan, so he covers up a lot of space.”
“Me as a competitor and challenger, I like going in there and challenging him, because if you can finish on [Wembanyama], I feel like you can finish on anybody in the world,” Irving continued. “He’s going to block some and he’s going to make you change it, but it’s only going to make you better as a basketball player, and that’s what I want, and I think everybody should relish in that. But also be smart in challenging him, because he does bait you a lot. He does do things like a Defensive Player of the Year would.”
Photo by Brien Aho/Getty Images
In the game, Wembanyama finished with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, along with an astronomical six blocks. He also dished out three dimes and swiped one steal. He registered a +5 plus-minus for his efforts. On the year, the 20-year-old out of Metropolitans 92 is averaging 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 blocks and 1.3 steals a night. He and Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren are considered the two runaway favorites to compete for Rookie of the Year honors.
“He’s showing signs that he’s exceeded all the Defensive Player of the Year stats of the previous guys that have won it,” Irving claimed. “You guys see it. I don’t know who they’re going to pick, but I mean he has all the tools to be named Defensive Player of the Year. He’s for sure a candidate. I don’t know how he wouldn’t be, unless the games played and minutes. But every Defensive Player of the Year that’s won the past few years, he’s almost head and shoulder and we still have what 15 or some odd games left? I give him credit for being such a young player but learning on the fly and doing everything he can to get his team wins.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.