Kyrie Irving drops impeccable analysis on Victor Wembanyama amid 2024 DPOY prospects
As it often has happened this season, 20-year-old Victor Wembanyama ended up on the losing side against the Mavericks despite making his presence known throughout his 32 minutes on the court.
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic dropped a clinic, showing exactly why the Dallas Mavericks are one of the title contenders this season. The Slovenian International dropped a triple-double with 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds, while Irving top-scored on the night with 28 points and seven rebounds.
After the game, Irving delivered a compelling analysis on the San Antonio Spurs rookie:
"You got to be aware of him late challenging, and he has the timing of a guard. I don't know if it's just he's played against guards, but I'm just saying, I think he's got a lot of reps of playing against good guards and guarding them one-on-one.
"Today, I thought I had a reverse layup and he ended up blocking it on the left side, because I thought he was going to be on the right side. But he has this long wingspan, so he covers up a lot of space.”
Irving praised Wembanyama’s impressive wingspan, which is a given considering he is 7-foot-4. Irving claimed even at his best, he still had to be wary of Wembanyama’s defensive presence:
“Me as a competitor and challenger, I like going in there and challenging him, because if you can finish on [Victor Wembanyama], I feel like you can finish on anybody in the world.
"He's going to block some and he's going to make you change it, but it's only going to make you better as a basketball player, and that's what I want, and I think everybody should relish in that. But also be smart in challenging him, because he does bate you a lot.”
Hence, Irving not only looks at Wembanyama as a sureshot for the ROTY award, he believes that the 20-year-old is a serious candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award as well.
Kyrie Irving looks at Victor Wembanyama as DPOY candidate
While the 31-year-old missed all five of his 3-point attempts, Irving was lethal from the midrange and went 13-of-16 from inside the arc. He showed flashes of his vintage self and dropped multiple mid-rangers over Wembanyama himself, who finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds alongside six blocks.
A constant menace defensively on the Spurs’ interior, the 2023-24 ROTY contender did enough to impress his senior colleague.
While Irving had a positive night offensively despite the misses from the 3-point zone, he thought that Wembanyama is in a different league, compared to past DPOY winners:
“He does do things like a Defensive Player of the Year would. He's showing signs that's he's exceeded all the Defensive Player of the Year stats of the previous guys that have won it.
"You guys see it. I don't know who they're going to pick, but I mean he has all the tools to be named Defensive Player of the Year. He's for sure a candidate. I don't know how he wouldn't be, unless the games played and minutes."
He added:
"But every Defensive Player of the Year that's won the past few years, he's almost head and shoulder and we still have what 15 or some odd games left? I give him credit for being such a young player but learning on the fly and doing everything he can to get his team wins.”
Of course, Irving’s hypothesis is well-supported by statistics. Wemby is currently leading the league in blocks per game (3.5), while averaging 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.3 steal and 3.5 assists.
The obvious scope for improvement is his shooting at just 46.4%. The other stats indicate that Wembanyama is set to be a long-term menace in the NBA.