San Antonio Spurs center Zach Collins believes his superstar teammate should win one of the NBA's top individual honors. But that doesn't mean he thinks Victor Wembanyama will win Defensive Player of the Year.
“He should be the Defensive Player of the Year but he's not…I'm sure they won't give him every single award but he should be,” Collins said of Wembanyama ahead of his team's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. Minnesota center Rudy Gobert, the presumptive DPOY frontrunner, is a game-time decision against San Antonio.
A consistent force on that end of the floor, Gobert's per-game statistics don't hold up to those of his fellow Frenchman. Wembanyama is averaging an NBA-leading 3.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, which ranks 15th in the entire league. By comparison, Gobert averages 2.1 blocks and 0.6 steals per outing.
Gobert is dealing with a left ankle sprain while his 20 year-old countryman continues to play at a very high level.
“He's doing things that I've never seen before. At the end of his career when he builds his resume the numbers are going to be insane because he's already off to a hot start,” Collins said of Wembanyana, who last week became the 15th player in league history to record a “5×5” game.
“I've always said you can be tall and long, but you've got to have a feel too for when to go for blocks, when to go for steals. He has that. He has those instincts already. It's crazy to think about he's only a rookie and he already has great instincts.”
‘Crazy' is a word often thrown around to describe the Spurs' 7-foot-4 marvel, who continues to leave opponents and teammates alike in awe. If he doesn't win Defensive Player of the Year as a rookie, it seems only a matter of time until Wembanyama takes home his first of multiple Hakeem Olajuwon Trophies.
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