NBA voters are revealing their thoughts on Wembanyama's MVP case

The Spurs haven't had an MVP since Tim Duncan won in 2003, and that could be changing as soon as this offseason. Last week, we heard guys like Bill Simmons giving Victor Wembanyama the nod as the best player in the league, and this week, another NBA award season voter, Justin Termine, just revealed that he and others he's spoken to would vote for Wemby if the season ended today.

Hopefully, this isn't a shock to anyone. Vic doesn't have the offensive numbers that the other guys have, but the impact is pretty much the same. Teams are terrified of Wemby getting off because he'll bury them with 35 points in 25 minutes if they aren't careful. So opponents will crowd the paint and send two or three defenders at him every time he tries to dive down the lane.

They do this from the beginning of the game. They don't wait to see whether he has it going or not before adjusting that part of the strategy. From the very beginning of the contest, keeping Wemby away from the middle of the floor is an imperative objective for every team in the league. That doesn't even touch on the transcendent defense we see from the Alien.

Wemby's defense goes beyond regular DPOY impact

Naysayers have already begun tearing down Victor's MVP case, stating he should just win the Defensive Player of the Year award and be happy. But that trophy doesn't reward this very unique player enough for his impact on winning ball games. We've never seen someone who can change the geometry of the floor like Wembanyama.

His assets on both sides of the floor translate to winning so clearly; it feels disrespectful and disingenuous to limit him to a trophy that completely ignores the overall influence he exerts every night.

He affects the game defensively just as much as those guys affect it offensively. It's not like that's the only thing he brings, though. He's not Tony Allen. Tony didn't average 24 points and wasn't a threat to erupt on any given night, and if you think 24 points isn't enough for an MVP winner, I'd advise you to look at history.

Tim Duncan (2003) was voted the Most Valuable Player in the NBA while averaging 23 points. Kevin Garnett (2004) earned his while putting up 24 a game, and so did Steph Curry in the 2014-15 season.

Duncan and Garnett partially won their awards because of their defensive prowess. I know that lately it's been looked at as an award for offense only, but it hasn't always been that way. However, you need a player as spectacular as Wemby to break the trend, and this is the perfect time to do it, considering San Antonio's meteoric rise.

Wembanyama checks all of the boxes: he has an undeniable impact on offense, transcendent defense, the team wouldn't be nearly as good without him, and the Spurs went from 13th in the Western Conference to 2nd in the entire NBA. If we can't break from the shackles of offense-driven award seasons now, when?