Wembanyama only needs one more season to pass Nikola Jokic's all-time status

Victor Wembanyama is only entering his fourth season, but he's already making his mark in the history books. His unprecedented rim protection, along with a first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year award, already makes him one of the greatest we've seen on that end. Next year, he comes for a larger crown.

Nikola Jokic is an offensive savant—a fantastic scorer with incredible passing ability. He's an unquestioned future Hall of Famer. But if Wembanyama captures both the MVP award and an NBA championship next season, it may already be time to place him ahead of The Joker on the all-time ladder.

I know. It seems outrageous today, but the case becomes much easier to make when you consider everything Wembanyama brings that Jokic simply never has. His resume wouldn't be exactly the same, but that's never been a prerequisite for these things. If it were, Bill Russell would be the undisputed GOAT, but we all know that's not the case.

A Wembanyama MVP and championship would erase a large resume gap

As it stands today, the Nuggets' franchise star has the edge because of his multiple MVP awards and the NBA championship he won against the Miami Heat in 2023. However, his inability to even get past the second round since then needs to be acknowledged. In fact, Jokic has only made it past the second round twice in his entire career. San Antonio's superstar is already halfway there.

Vic made it to the NBA Finals in his first playoff run and went through the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to do it. Adding an MVP and a championship in Year 4 would rubber-stamp him as an all-time great without the defensive qualifier, and it'd only be a matter of placing him correctly.

Still, the defensive greatness must be accounted for fairly. As The Alien reminded everyone last season, it's half of the game, and he's already top 5 all-time just off talent alone. Winning an MVP would mean he played at least 65 games, so we're almost guaranteeing a second DPOY award win.

So, before Vic turns 24 years old, he could be a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, MVP, champion, and likely a Finals MVP. That resume would certainly be enough to surpass Jokic on the all-time ladder because it's so much, so fast.

Wembanyama's complete game gives him the advantage over Jokic

Nikola is arguably the greatest offensive center ever. Wemby is quickly building a reputation as the greatest defensive player the league has ever seen. But unlike The Joker, there isn't an obvious weakness opponents can attack in a playoff series.

Wembanyama protects the rim, switches onto guards, erases mistakes made by teammates, and completely alters opposing game plans before the ball is tipped. But he also has Steph Curry-level gravity on offense; he scores in the paint, he hits threes, and he's only getting better.

At the end of the day, if both guys prove they can be the best player on a championship team, the one who dominates both ends of the floor deserves the higher all-time placement.

This isn't to take away from anything Jokic has built. He's already cemented. But greatness isn't static. If Victor Wembanyama wins both the MVP and an NBA title next season, he'll have accomplished enough at an unprecedented age while impacting every facet of the game to justify leapfrogging the Denver legend.

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