Victor Wembanyama’s DPOY race lost its only real challenger before November

Victor Wembanyama has hit the ground running toward another Defensive Player of the Year trophy. The Spurs' franchise star is averaging 3.8 blocks through five games—matching his career-best. We're only five games in, but it all matters when the voters pick the award winners at the end of the season, and Wemby is making sure to leave no doubt in their minds again.

San Antonio has a 97.7 defensive rating when Vic is on the floor. That number plummets to 118.6 when he sits—a 20.9 swing per 100 possessions. That's a little concerning for Spurs fans because the same thing continues to ail the Silver and Black: how to keep a respectable defense on the court when Wemby sits.

But for his DPOY campaign, it's perfect fodder that proves how much of a difference-maker the French tower is, even as the team grows around him. He's the anchor of what was a top-three unit last year and a top-10 group to start the 2026-27 campaign.

Chet Holmgren’s injury takes Wembanyama’s biggest threat off the board

Chet Holmgren is second in blocks with 3.0 per game. He's going to be out for about 8-10 weeks after undergoing treatment for a patellar tendon tear. Missing two months will cost OKC's top rim protector any slim chance he had of challenging Wemby. The NBA only allows 17 missed games to remain eligible for end-of-season awards, and a minimum of two months would mean missing more than 20.

Take him off the table.

There's no other big man in the league who comes close to the impact Vic makes, so we have to look at the wings now and only the wings, as I don't believe any guards will be impactful enough. Amen and Ausar Thompson are a couple of Tasmanian devils on defense. Houston currently has the 11th-best defensive rating, and Detroit has the second.

They're the two who jump out at me first as possible challengers, but if Wemby keeps blocking almost four shots a night while deterring others, how do you not pick the walking black hole? That should be cake for him.

The Spurs’ defense is only going to get better around Wembanyama

The Spurs will only get better on that end. Their identity has always been, and always will be, rooted in defense. Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell. These guys haven't gone anywhere. If Mitch Johnson has to make changes to the rotations, I think he will if he believes he can get a better effort from a different unit.

I don't expect San Antonio to finish the season with the eighth-best defensive rating. They'll end up in the top three or five, and with his block numbers and overall impact, the Alien should easily be staring at his second consecutive DPOY award. He'll also be the first player in NBA history to hold the blocks title for four years running. Who doesn't want to see that?

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