FanDuel just gave Victor Wembanyama perfect motivation to crush hated rival

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has been in and out of the lineup this season. So much so that he is teetering on the brink of eligibility for some major NBA awards.

Wembanyama can only afford to miss four more games before being deemed ineligible for Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) and All-NBA. I said it before, and I'll say it again: the NBA's 65-game minimum rule has been a disaster.

Not only are many of the game's best players already ruled out from winning major awards or All-NBA, allowing lesser players to get those honors instead, but also... Speaking of which, FanDuel currently has Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren ahead of Wembanyama in Defensive Player of the Year odds.

That would be a frustrating outcome if Wembanyama doesn't qualify for the award only to see his rival Holgrem hoist that award before he does.

Chet Holmgren is favored to win Defensive Player of the Year

If Wembanyama is able to stay healthy over the remainder of the season—45 games as of writing—then it seems like a certainty that he would surpass Holmgren in Defensive Player of the Year odds. It's definitely possible.

On the other hand, San Antonio has been very cautious with him, which is both understandable and frustrating at the same time. Odds are that he will miss more than four games, making him ineligible to receive any awards.

In that case, barring an injury, Holmgren would seem to be a shoo-in for the award. That might come back to bite the Thunder and Holmgren, however. If San Antonio meets Oklahoma City in the playoffs, then Wembanyama could unleash his full wrath on both OKC and Holmgren.

Victor Wembanyama not winning DPOY Year may fuel him

The Thunder already struggle offensively when Wemby is on the floor, with his length and height practically serving as an electric fence surrounding the paint. Now imagine him aggressively looking to punish Holmgren or whoever they try to throw at them.

That would be a silver lining of him not winning the award for a third straight year. Hopefully, that won't happen with him still being the best defensive player in the league. Him not winning the award would, or at least should, force the NBA to reconsider the 65-game rule. If the best players aren't winning the awards for something arbitrary like games played, then why have them in the first place?

Wembanyama playing 64 games as opposed to 66 games isn't that big of a difference but is being treated as such. Voters should be the ones taking games played into account.

If Wembanyama is the league's best defender and plays 60 games while another candidate plays 75, then that should be up to them. Last season, he led the NBA in blocks while playing only 43 games. If that isn't a reason to end this rule, then I'm not sure what is.