Latest Victor Wembanyama MVP endorsement will leave fans totally conflicted

On ESPN's First Take this morning, Stephen A. Smith told the national audience that Victor Wembanyama is his frontrunner for MVP. He admits to being swayed by the Alien's comments in the postgame press conference after the Spurs demolished the Miami Heat 136-111.

Wemby isn't just stating an emotional case here, either. He's backing it up on the court, and he's right. These remarks come on the heels of 26 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 blocks. The Spurs have been playing the best basketball in the league for almost an entire two months.

His statement was just another reminder of that, and it's impactful to get a polarizing, albeit frustrating voice like Stephen A. in your corner.

Wembanyama is racking up MVP support

Spurs fans aren't the fondest of ESPN's golden child for good reason. He's often come off dismissive of the team and city in the past and barely tries to get the names of the players correct, so it doesn't make me feel very warm inside to value his support, but we have to be realistic here. Smith is one of the most powerful voices in sports media. That's a large co-sign.

He's the latest in a line of voters who have openly admitted to leaning toward San Antonio's superstar for the league's greatest regular season honor. The clip from this morning's segment cut off before they got to Brian Windhorst, who also admitted to being swayed by Wemby's recent push, basically stating that his head tells him SGA, but his heart tells him Victor should win it.

I want to be clear about something in a quick sidebar. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a worthy pick. This isn't about disrespecting the reigning MVP. He's had a great season, and if he were to win it, I don't believe we would be able to claim Wembanyama was "robbed."

I just believe it to be a closer race than people have been giving it credit for, with the Spurs' towering Frenchman leading the way. There are some who believe that the award should go to the best player on the best team, but that's the lazy way to vote, and it hasn't always been that way.

Nikola Jokic never won MVP as the first seed in the West; Joel Embiid won as the sixth seed, and so did Russell Westbrook.

The fact is that Wemby is right: defense is half of the game, and he's by far the best on that end. Yes, offense is more than just scoring points, and he makes a strong impact on that side. All you have to do is open your eyes to see it. And in a race this tight, winning the head-to-head bouts should play a factor.

That's a 10/10 argument.