The end of a competitive playoff series saw Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels having high praise for Victor Wembanyama. Despite playing with and formerly playing against current teammate Rudy Gobert, McDaniels believes that Wemby is already the greatest defender he’s ever faced in his career. Gobert has talked about being an all-time great defender in the past due to his four Defensive Player of the Year awards.
McDaniels provided the following insight after Minnesota was eliminated by Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs:
“They did a good job, Wemby is probably the greatest defender I’ve ever played. Him being so tall and so long, it was hard to get to the rim. That’s pretty much the most part. I was able to get to my spots, but playing Wemby, he’s huge. He’s so tall. He’s the greatest defender I’ve ever played against.”
San Antonio saw Wembanyama dominating on both ends of the court when they most needed him. Minnesota struggled immensely at getting any easy baskets in the deciding Game 5 and Game 6 after tying the series. A player like Wembanyama makes it impossible for a team of aggressive players to get their usual dunks and layups at the same rate. The Timberwolves learned how hard it is to play against Wemby in a best of seven series.
How This Ties In Rudy Gobert
Gobert and Wembanyama have been compared to each other ever since the latter became a top prospect due to both failing from France. Wemby was not shy about having the goal to dominate defensively and even once claimed Gobert was never getting the Defensive Player of the Year Award again now that he’s arrived.
Most NBA players will try to go out of their way to argue for their teammates being better than opponents. Gobert hopes to be remembered as an all-time great NBA defender, but many of his peers across the league don’t view him on that level.
Even his teammate McDaniels didn’t feel hesitant to admit that Wembanyama is on another level from Gobert and other top defenders across the league. Gobert was a negative on the court to see Naz Reid getting more minutes and trust at various points this series.
Wemby Is Starting A Historic Defensive Run
This season saw Wembanyama winning his first Defensive Player of the Year Award, and he is likely going to be the favorite for every season moving forward. Names like Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren, and Ausar Thompson are becoming elite defenders.
However, it is hard to see any of them winning the award over Wemby, as long as the latter is healthy enough to play the minimum games required to qualify. Past eras would see these young rising stars expected to at least get one DPOY during their prime.
Wembanyama makes it impossible to have high expectations due to his impact on the game. San Antonio has a young star with the potential of being the greatest defensive player in NBA history if he can live up to his expectations. Wemby is in the first year of a potential historic DPOY run moving forward.
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