Victor Wembanyama’s defense is bending reality and the stats prove it

Victor Wembanyama's block rate was already impressive before putting the number up against how many fouls he's accumulated, but when you do, the discrepancy is jaw-dropping in comparison to his peers.

The value of defending the rim without putting guys on the free throw line can't be overstated. Vic's ability to do so at the level he does is just another piece of his create-a-player mold, destined to wreck this league for the foreseeable future.

Wembanyama's block/foul numbers are unreasonably great

Wembanyama rejected 176 shots as a sophomore in the NBA, and that number led the league despite that he only played 46 games. Brook Lopez was second with 148 blocks in 80 games, and Myles Turner was third with 144 in 72. It's not as if that isn't impressive enough, but again, when you start looking at the foul numbers, it adds detail to an evolving masterpiece still young in its maturation process.

Vic's game isn't just reliant on his freakish ability; it involves intelligence, and keeping guys off the line is smart basketball. So, he was only called for 105 fouls on the year. Lopez had 171 fouls, and Turner ended the regular season with 183.

That's a 1.68 block-to-foul ratio for the Alien as opposed to .87 for Brook and .79 for Myles, meaning he blocks shots without fouling at nearly double the rate of the second-best shot blocker in the NBA. If he keeps up his pace, he'll have the highest career block-to-foul ratio in league history.

Vic blocked a total of 254 shots last season. It led the league by a margin so wide that Mister Fantastic would have trouble demonstrating it. Despite how much he goes after would-be finishers, he only racked up 153 fouls. That set his block-to-foul ratio at 1.66. No one has ever had a block/foul rate close to that prior, so he set the record last year, and broke it in his encore.

Chet Holmgren was second in blocks in the 2023-24 season with 190, but the OKC big man had 197 fouls. That's a .96 block-to-foul rate, which is good, but it doesn't come close to Wembanyama. I know I've already made my point, but it's always fun to dunk on the guys people try to pit as an equal to someone great when common sense should tell them they're wrong.

To put a bow on it, the French superstar's 176 blocks still lead all players, including the ones still playing in the postseason. While Brook Lopez was eliminated in the first round, Myles Turner is headed to the Eastern Conference Finals.

He leads all playoff participants in blocks per game (2.5) with a total of 25 after 10 games, but that only brings his total to 169. That's 36 additional games played, only to still need more time to catch the Vic. Yeah. He's definitely not from around here. I'm just glad he crash-landed when he did.