Victor Wembanyama just added historic award to a dominant third season

It's official. Victor Wembanyama was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year. This makes him the youngest award winner in league history (22 years old), surpassing players like Evan Mobley, Dwight Howard, and Kawhi Leonard, who each won their first at 23.

With this win, Victor puts himself into elite all-time Spurs territory. He is the team's fourth DPOY recipient after Alvin Robertson, David Robinson, and Kawhi Leonard. So to put it another way, he's already one of the greatest defenders in the history of one of the NBA's most storied franchises.

I must point this out as well; this is way more than just a nice trophy that Wemby can put somewhere in his house and forget where to find it in five years. Instead, it's a statement: he is the world's most dominant defensive force.

Victor Wembanyama did something no other superstar could

It may sound crazy, but Victor's offensive attack made his defensive impact even more impressive. Let me explain. We hear it all the time: star players have to sacrifice a bit of defensive effort to execute at an elite level on the offensive side of the floor. It's rare for a player to be truly elite on both ends.

It's why, typically, DPOY winners are not the top scorers on their team. The last five winners (Mobley, Gobert, Jackson Jr., and Smart) scored less than 20 PPG while dominating on the defensive end. Now, that's not to discredit them; they were amazing. But it gives further context to how Wemby's performance this season stands out.

He matched his defensive impact with an All-Star level offensive attack, posting a career-high 25 PPG on 51% shooting. He was the Spurs' lone 20-point scorer. Being able to exert so much energy on the offensive end and still be the most devastating defender on the planet separated him from everyone else in the race.

Wemby is more than just a shot blocker

Victor's all-around defensive skill set is another thing that sets him apart from his contemporaries. Of course, he is primarily known for elite rim protection. This season, he was either decimating shots at the basket or just standing firm in the paint, making opponents think twice about even trying to score over him.

But he's also been great in other areas defensively. He is one of the league's best pick-and-roll defenders, specifically when guarding in drop coverage. Additionally, he's very mobile. Unlike other players that match his physical profile, he can fly around the court to stop multiple actions, covering a ridiculous amount of ground.

For example, Wemby isn't finished if he has to guard in space and gets beaten off the dribble by a smaller guard. He does an amazing job at recovering and can either alter or block a shot after getting blown by. Off-ball, he's serviceable if he has to work between guarding shooters and providing help defense on the interior.

He's just a complete force on the defensive side of the floor. This postseason, coaches are going to learn just how daunting a task it is to limit his impact on that end in a best-of-seven series

With what we saw from him this year, I firmly believe that this award is going to be his for the taking over the next couple of seasons. I mean, the man hasn't even reached his prime yet.

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