Tim Bontemps makes bold Victor Wembanyama MVP claim Spurs fans will love

ESPN's Tim Bontemps just put a Victor Wembanyama MVP path on the table. The longtime NBA writer published an MVP poll on the Worldwide Leader's website this morning where 100 media members were tasked with casting their ballots for the league's most prestigious regular season award.

Wemby only had 3 first-place votes but had the fourth-most in total, prompting these words from Bontemps. "I'm tempted to say the most likely person to win MVP that's not Shai is Victor. This reminds me a lot of the year when Embiid won," he told Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon.

He went on to recall how Joel went from zero first-place votes early on to edging out Nikola Jokic by the end of the 2022-23 campaign. Wemby is only in his third season, but Tim's partners didn't balk at his take. "Listen, he calls this stuff," Windy said, backing up his Hoop Collective co-host. As a man who predicted Vic would win this MVP in the preseason, I'm glad to see an actual voter get on board.

Wembanyama can bring first MVP to San Antonio since Duncan

Kawhi Leonard's back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards were pretty cool to see at a time when he was still beloved in the 210, but that time is long gone, and there hasn't been a winner of the ultimate award since 2003. Tim Duncan brought it home in back-to-back seasons, and it's been elusive ever since.

Vic walked into the NBA with the moxy to make you believe that he could change that. It was only a matter of time, but that moment has crept up on us quickly. The French devastator has a better chance at pulling this off now that someone of Bontemps' stature has put it in the atmosphere. The idea will begin to spread like the wildfire used during the Battle of the Blackwater in Game of Thrones.

The only thing that can hold them back is injuries. This is a very good team, and they're still getting better. By all accounts, they shouldn't be the second seed. The Silver and Black started their season without their starting point guard, lost their superstar for 12 straight games, and during the same stretch, missed the reigning rookie of the year for over 11.

ESPN's prediction models had the Spurs winning 41.8 games, and many of the oddsmakers put SA's line at 43 wins. They'll pass those numbers with over a month and a half to spare. Vic's strong leadership, undeniable offensive impact, and catastrophic defense are leading the charge to a potential first overall seed.

If they pull that off, I can't see him not winning the award, but even if he does it. If San Antonio keeps the second seed and Wembanyama adds just a tick to his point-per-game average, he still stands a fair chance at doing something truly amazing.

There have only been three players ever to win DPOY and MVP in the same season. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Michael Jordan. That'd be quite a list for the Alien to join.