Wemby’s historic stat lines never fully capture his complete impact

Unfortunately, just a few months into the NBA season, Victor Wembanyama's end-of-season fate is nearly settled. The Alien won't be taking home any awards due to his lack of games played, unless he performs a miracle of superhuman strength, which I wouldn't put past him.

So, for the second season in a row, the runaway favorite for Defensive Player of the Year won't actually get rewarded with it.

It's deplorable that the best defender in the world has yet to win the award with his name written across it. However, this is the nature of the game. While I am not here to cry about the NBA rules, I want to highlight just how outstanding Wemby's defense continues to be. It appears some may have forgotten. Specifically, his career-low block numbers present an inaccurate image.

The stats don't reflect how great of a defender Victor Wembanyama is

For a moment, let's remove the stats from the equation. As a basketball community, we have become so engrossed in analytics that we often overlook what is actually happening on the court. When you look at Wemby's simple stats, you don't see that he is a generational great defender. You have to actually watch the games to see that.

Unlike ever before, Victor has scared the living daylights out of everybody across the NBA. In previous seasons, players would still try to attack him to no avail. Now, they have completely given up. This type of impact is unfathomable. All by himself, the big man has erected a wall in the paint that goes up the second he enters the game.

When players do try to attack him, it is like a grown-up playing against children. Any attempts to score on the giant are completely erased immediately. Wemby can defend the paint from so many different angles and block shots at degrees we have never seen before. He is changing the geometry of basketball.

When Victor is on the court, everything changes. The opposing team has to instantly rethink their offensive strategy and hope that they can knock down shots from outside. It's a waste of time to try to score on the Alien.

Ignore the analytics; Victor Wembanyama is the best defender in the game

The reason his block numbers have come down from previous seasons is not that he's no longer good at it, but because he doesn't get as many block opportunities. It is similar to cornerbacks in the NFL. The best ones in the game have lower interception numbers because they hardly get looked at.

There is no simple stat that reflects the impact of Wembanyama. You must dive deep into the advanced analytics to realize what he is doing. I suggest that we establish "shots deterred" as a standard statistic for defenders. This will provide Wemby with a tangible achievement for the average fan.

I hope you can make time to watch the Alien in-game, because it is truly amazing. Don't let anyone tell you differently; Victor Wembanyama is the greatest defender in the NBA.