Insane NBA MVP double standard is robbing Wembanyama of a shot at the award

With less than a week left in the regular season, it appears that San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is still lagging behind in the MVP race, through no fault of his own. The main reason why he may only finish second or third in the MVP race this season is how award voters view defense.

Despite being 50% of the game, defense often gets weighted differently when it comes to MVP voting. If a player puts up big offensive numbers on a fantastic team, then they will likely get strong MVP consideration.

However, if a player such as Wembanyama puts up monster defensive numbers, they don't get the same buzz. Make it make sense.

Victor Wembanyama's elite two-way play should make him MVP

Ironically, he is also having a terrific season on the offensive end of the floor. Wemby is playing fewer than 30 minutes per game but averaging nearly 25 points on an impressive 62.5% true shooting.

That makes him one of three players to average at least 24.5 points on at least 62% true shooting.

However, he is the only player to accomplish that while averaging 3 blocks per game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) is having a special offensive season and is a good defender.

That being said, I'd argue that Wembanyama's defensive impact matches SGA's offensive performance. Meanwhile, Wemby's offensive play is more significant than SGA's defensive impact.

As for Nikola Jokic, he's having arguably the best season of his career, which is really saying something considering he is a three-time MVP. Nevertheless, his defensive impact pales in comparison to Wembanyama's.

Wembanyama is slowly making defense a kep aspect of MVP voting

If we treated defense as equally important as offense, Wemby would be at the forefront of the MVP discussion. However, he could potentially win multiple MVPs in the near future, with defense playing a crucial role in his MVP case.

The longer he maintains a high level of play and elevates the Spurs to a contender status, the more he can change minds. Still, he probably won't win the award this season.

But there is no doubt that Wembanyama is the future of the league. Being the face of the NBA means that he also has to be the best. He is well on his way at barely 22 years old and is already arguably the third-best player in the NBA.

Wembanyama certainly has been a top-three player this season. And, as The Ringer's Bill Simmons points out, it is rare for a player this young to be this good.

That has a lot to do with his defense, which has played a giant factor in his and the Spurs' success this season and will serve as the backbone of his future MVP cases.