Wemby is supremely close to racing past Nikola Jokic in stat he's destined to own

The news of Victor Wembanyama's ascent into the NBA's top 250 all-time in blocked shots spread pretty quickly after he handed out more rejections last night than an Amish swimsuit model. As impressive as that is, knowing the Spurs' star has spent fewer than three seasons on a basketball court, it gets even better when you see he's only a few denials shy of Nikola Jokic.

The Nuggets' 3x MVP is 246 in that list, with only 572 blocks to Wemby's 568. This is the Joker's 11th season in the NBA, and to put that more into perspective, he's played 791 games to the French phenom's 164.

Wembanyama is blocking shots at an incredible pace, and if he remains healthy enough to play 65-70 at his current rejection rate, he would pass Hakeem Olajuwon for the most blocked shots in league history at about 32-33 years old.

Wembanyama's defense is unprecedented

We've never seen anything like this. He racked up five blocks last night in the first half against the 76ers. They didn't know what hit them. He finished the game with six in only 24 minutes of play. Vic only scored 10 points, yet he was a +41. It's unheard of.

Usually we spend time arguing about defensive impact and how it's not normally weighed fairly in comparison to offense. I actually think that's how it should be. It just tends to slant a little too far sometimes. In Wembanyama's case, nobody really struggles to comprehend his impact on the game. It's in your face too much to deny.

This big 7'5" guy is on the floor detering some of the world's best athletes from even attempting a shot in his vicinity. His counting stats are egregious, and the eye test outside of the numbers matches them. That's why it was funny to hear Doris Burke call Chet Holmgren the best rim protector in the NBA during the broadcast of a recent OKC game she called.

The Thunder's defensive anchor has had an awesome season, but no matter what you think of him, accusing him of being better than Vic at Vic's superpower is a bridge too far. Well, it's one of many superpowers, but it's one of his best.

Nobody impacts the spacing on the court, frightens would-be drivers, or rejects as many shots as Wembanyama. Look how quickly he caught up to Jokic. I know the Nuggets' offensive hub has never been known for his defense, but closing that gap so quickly is mind-blowing. Add it to the list of impressive things this kid has done and will do.