Victor Wembanyama just learned a troubling lesson about NBA MVP race

The NBA's MVP statement is one Victor Wembanyama is bound to hear, and it may ultimately create an even bigger problem for the rest of the league. The message sent by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander winning the award over the Spurs superstar was loud and clear: overwhelming two-way dominance still takes a backseat to gaudy offensive numbers in the eyes of too many voters.

This isn't an argument against SGA. He was brilliant this season, leading the Thunder to the best record in basketball. He deserved to be in the conversation. But if Wembanyama can average 25 points, 12 rebounds, and over 3 blocks per game while anchoring one of the best defenses in the NBA and still fall short, then the award's criteria must be re-examined.

The NBA continues to reward offense above everything else

History tells us exactly how rare Wemby's season was. Since blocks became an official stat in 1972, only four players have averaged at least 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a season: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob McAdoo, Hakeem Olajuwon, and our very own David Robinson. That's Hall of Fame company across the board.

Only one of those players also won Defensive Player of the Year in that same season, and it was Olajuwon in 1992-93. Even then, Hakeem didn't win MVP despite averaging 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks for a 55-win Rockets team. Charles Barkley took home the trophy after leading Phoenix to 62 wins. That should sound pretty familiar.

Several voters explicitly stated that they would likely cast their vote based on which candidate's team ended the season with the better record. San Antonio came in second place by a measly two games, though. Coming from the preseason expectation of a play-in team to one on the doorstep of the best record in the league should add significant weight, but here we are.

For years, fans and analysts have claimed they wanted players to value defense again. Then someone arrives who completely bends opposing offenses out of shape simply by standing near the paint, and somehow, that impact isn't considered enough. Vic doesn't just block shots. He erases actions, cuts off entire sections of the floor, and forces opponents to play outside of their comfort zones.

The problem is that defensive dominance isn't loud enough for modern MVP discourse. Too many people are box-score watching instead of watching the games. Scoring titles, flashy offensive numbers, and nightly scoring explosions generate more buzz than watching someone destroy the game on the less glamorous side of the ball. That's disappointing.

Wembanyama now has an obvious MVP roadmap

The scary part for the rest of the NBA is that Wemby is smart enough to understand the assignment now. If this is how the award is evaluated, he'll adjust accordingly. That's horrendous for everyone else because the towering Frenchman is already one of the most devastating offensive players in basketball, and he's still just scratching the surface of his latent abilities.

San Antonio is already in the Western Conference Finals years ahead of the perceived schedule. Wembanyama hasn't even fully weaponized his scoring arsenal yet. He's still learning when to hunt mismatches, when to overpower his defender, or even when to just take over the ball game. If the voters are telling him the defensive destruction isn't enough, he'll just score more and dominate even louder.

So, the troubling part isn't that Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP. He's earned his praise after a stellar year. The troubling part is the lesson the NBA just taught the Alien. Being the most overwhelmingly defensive force possibly ever isn't enough. If the league wants historic offensive numbers attached to that dominance, too, he'll make them regret making the formula this obvious this early.

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