One Wembanyama stat proves the DPOY race is just a formality

This is the exact type of stat we've been searching for to fully encompass the value Victor Wembanyama has brought to the defensive end of the floor. ESPN posted their net points metric for defense, and Wemby leads by more than a country mile. The gap is more like the distance from Earth to the Moon.

It really doesn't matter what the stat is; if the distance from the first and second guy is the same as the gap between the second and 32nd, there should never really be a question of the leading player's value.

Every now and then, you see a random fan call him a "shot-blocking merchant" (such a stupid term) or a player like Bam Adebayo complaining about being overlooked in favor of players who have better counting stats but are supposedly not as good overall. That may have been the case before Wemby's arrival, but the Alien is here now, and all DPOY talks will begin with him for the foreseeable future.

"Transcendent" wasn't used lightly to describe Wemby's defense

We need to make sure we're all on the same page here, so for those who don't know what goes into ESPN's advanced defensive net points model, I'll give you a quick breakdown.

Defensive Net Points

1. Shot deterrence (Are players avoiding shooting near him)
2. Shot contests (How much worse do opponents shoot when he contests)
3. Rim protection (Blocks, altered shots, FG% allowed at the rim)
4. Defensive playmaking (Blocks, steals, deflections)
5. On-court defensive results (How the defense performs when he's on the floor)
6. Matchup difficulty (Who is he guarding)

Every action gets a point, and all of the points are totaled into a points-saved estimate.

Now, no model that uses estimates to determine a single player's impact in a team sport is perfect. Still, this is about as close as you're going to get to a metric that tries to factor in every nuance possible.

Considering all of the nuances accounted for, it makes sense that the gap between Victor and Chet is so wide—at least if you're a Spurs fan, watching every game. He makes the best players in the league decide to go away from some of their most effective spots on the floor.

The most skilled offensive guys thrive because they can get where they want when they want for a favorable shot, but Wemby changes that for everyone, not just a few guys. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cade Cunningham have to attack this monster differently, Nikola Jokic has to make adjustments no one else in the league forces him to make, and the list goes on and on.

You can love another guy's game and appreciate what they bring to the table. There's nothing wrong with having your favorites. But when we're objectively talking about the best defender in the league, the answer starts and ends with Victor Wembanyama. So, if he reaches that 65-game threshold, I would like to see a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year award.