Superstar Kyrie Irving drops bombshell about Wembanyama in postgame interview

The San Antonio Spurs once again found themselves on the unfavorable end of a losing effort after a tightly contested game against their rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, 113-107. The team played very well over extended stretches and played defense admirably. The coverage on Luka Doncic, especially, was magnificent, holding the Slovenian superstar to only 18 points on 6-27 from the field.

Jeremy Sochan was instrumental in that accomplishment as the primary defender for the majority of the evening. The last time Luka was held to less than 20 points was February 5th against the 76ers, and it's a feat defenses have only pulled off 5 times total this season; that includes this game. While Sochan deserves his respect for the contribution given, Victor Wembanyama continues to transcend that side of the floor and superstar point guard Kyrie Irving has taken notice.

The calls for Victor Wembanyama to win DPOY are getting louder

The momentum is continuing to build towards a seemingly impossible feat. At the beginning of the season, Victor Wembanyama's defense was predicted to be ahead of his offensive game. People were never going to be surprised by a solid defensive performance from this kid after what he had already put on film in a professional league overseas. What he has done is beyond 'solid' or any other mild descriptor you may think of, and exceptions are made for exceptional people.

The Ringer's Ryen Russillo is the first media member to confirm that he will vote for the rookie big man down south in the Lone Star State. His public admission could give others confidence and may be the first crack in a dam that eventually breaks if more voters begin to speak out in support of Wembanyama.

Recently, Shaquille O'Neal and others have criticized DPOY frontrunner Rudy Gobert for his defensive style, suggesting he is being overrated. Meanwhile, Victor is putting up historic numbers in the blocked shots category, impacting offenses at a hall-of-fame level. Kyrie expressed uncertainty on whether Wembanyama's minutes were a possible detriment to winning the award, but it should be the opposite. He's putting up these ridiculous numbers in an average of 29 minutes per game.

Victor's 57 blocks exceed the combined block total of the NBA's second and third shot-blocking leaders since the All-Star Break. Kyrie Irving, one of the most skilled players the NBA has ever seen, has rubber-stamped Wemby's defense. At some point, you have to stop trying to hold on to a pointless tradition of not voting for rookies for some arbitrary reason. It is without reason to deny the impact Wembanyama has on defense, so don't deny it. Accept it. The truth shall set you free.