Victor Wembanyama has MVP path this season—but needs a massive improvement

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama stands a chance to be the youngest MVP winner in NBA history, supplanting Derrick Rose. He won't be the favorite going into the year, partially for that reason, but also because there are some supremely talented players in the league right now. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just had an unreal season, and Nikola Jokic is a perennial contender for the honor.

Funny enough, the Joker's numbers are a piece of what should give fans hope that Wemby can pull off the near impossible. Denver's franchise center has won the trophy three times, with the last time being just a season ago. His numbers were 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 35.9% from three.

The Alien just turned in a shortened season, averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.8 blocks. He shot 35.2% on three-pointers. Jokic's passing ability is unmatched by any center in the game, but Wemby steals the show with defense. None of the other numbers are far from his, so some small, some large improvements in the right areas will give Vic what he needs to shock the world.

Kevin O'Connor believes Wembanyama's off-the-dribble game is the key

Specifically, the NBA Insider said that if the young Frenchman can advance his shooting off the dribble, it will unlock the MVP form needed to take home the award. I can't say that I disagree with that. He has everything else that he needs in his toolbox to justify winning Most Valuable Player of the Year. Efficiency is the next step.

One thing that every winner generally has is that when you throw them the ball, the defense is automatically in trouble, no matter where that player is on the floor. We may not know exactly what Vic is going to do on a play-to-play basis, but sometimes, neither does he. He has so many weapons, he's still figuring out when to use what, and that indecision has been just one thing needing growth.

I'm confident that he'll raise his percentages in his third year just as he did in his second season. He's a madman when it comes to basketball. We know how great he wants to be. But will he have the decision-making that goes along with the all-time greats? The time it takes for him to figure that out will be a deciding factor in how quickly he can start to kick the door in for awards and titles.

D. Rose was 22 years old and also in his third season when he beat LeBron James out for the MVP award. Wembanyama would be 22 if he pulled this off, too, but Rose hit his age at the beginning of the season, so Vic would be younger by a few months.

He'll need the rest of his guys to come along, though. We know how important team success is to the voters, but if he has a monster year and the Spurs win 50 games, the award will be his. Wembanyama is currently fifth in FanDuel's odds to win the Most Valuable Player of the Year award.