San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Spurs rookie voted best defender in the NBA by his peers

By Sai Mohan | Last updated 4/23/24

Victor Wembanyama admittedly reached only 15% of his final form as a rookie.

But even at his "infancy stage," Wemby — who led the league in blocks — is viewed by his peers as the most difficult defender to score on.

According to The Athletic's anonymous NBA player poll, the Spurs rookie ranked ahead of Jrue Holiday, Lu Dort, Herb Jones and Jaden McDaniels for top honors.

As a rookie, Wemby is already the best defender in the NBA according to the players. pic.twitter.com/QAWfLeuw3u
— WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) April 22, 2024

Some of the 132 unnamed players who voted for Wemby explained their reasoning.

"He's changing the game," an opponent said. "Players — you can't say 'scared' — but he's changing their shots. He deserves it."

"He really, like, affects everything in the paint," another player said. "He has dudes not even trying to go to the rim. He damn near leads the league in blocks right now, and this is his first year. He’s doing it in limited time too."

Wembanyama also topped the list of desired franchise cornerstones, edging out reigning NBA Champion Nikola Jokic.

NBA players were asked who’d they build their roster around.

1st place: Victor Wembanyama pic.twitter.com/CVS2oVtWOz
— WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) April 22, 2024

While the 7-foot-4 phenom is unlikely to be voted Defensive Player of the Year by the media, many current and former players have been lobbying for him to win the award over Rudy Gobert. The 20-year-old is still expected to win Rookie of the Year for averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.6 blocks in his first year as a Spur.

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