{"id":110245,"date":"2024-12-04T08:44:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T13:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=110245"},"modified":"2024-12-04T08:44:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T13:44:02","slug":"victor-wembanyama-builds-dpoy-resume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/04\/victor-wembanyama-builds-dpoy-resume\/","title":{"rendered":"Victor Wembanyama Builds DPOY Resume in a Unique Way"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/17\/wembanyama-quiets-criticisms-showing-hall-of-fame-trajectory\/\" target=\"_self\">Victor Wembanyama<\/a> is redefining defensive excellence in his sophomore NBA season. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/03\/wemby-spurs-nba-cup\/\" target=\"_self\">San Antonio Spurs<\/a>\u00a0big man has emerged as a dominant force on the defensive end, recently earning the first-ever Kia NBA Western\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/news\/monthly-nba-awards-october-november-2024\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Defensive Player of the Month<\/a> award for October and November. This accomplishment solidifies Wembanyama\u2019s status as one of the league\u2019s most unique and impactful players.<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/13\/spurs-wembanyama-mvp-level\/\" target=\"_self\">\u00a0Wembanyama<\/a> is building an undeniable resume for the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award.<\/p>\n<h2>Victor Wembanyama Builds DPOY Resume in a Unique Way<\/h2>\n<h3>Leading the League in Blocks<\/h3>\n<p>Wembanyama\u2019s shot-blocking has set the tone for the Spurs\u2019 defense. He appeared in 16 games in <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.statmuse.com\/nba\/ask\/victor-wembanyama-stats-from-october-1st-to-november-31st\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October and November<\/a>. In those games, he led the league with an impressive 3.56 blocks per game and a total of 57 blocks. His impact accounted for a staggering <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.statmuse.com\/nba\/ask\/san-antonio-spurs-stats-from-october-1st-to-november-31st\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">45.9<\/a>% of the Spurs\u2019 total blocks during that span. These numbers reflect his ability to dominate the paint, forcing opponents to rethink their offensive strategies.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/26\/stephon-castle-jrue-holiday\/\" target=\"_self\">Spurs<\/a> have consistently been among the top three teams in shot-blocking this season, thanks largely to Wembanyama. His timing, wingspan, and court awareness make him an unparalleled rim protector. At just 20 years old, he is already setting new standards for defensive efficiency.<\/p>\n<h3>Anchoring the Spurs\u2019 Defense<\/h3>\n<p>Wembanyama\u2019s defensive contributions extend far beyond shot-blocking. His <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/defense?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Wemb&amp;DateFrom=10\/22\/2024&amp;DateTo=11\/30\/2024&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RATING\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">108.1<\/a> defensive rating for that span ranked among the league&#8217;s best and propelled the Spurs to being ranked <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/defense?Month=1&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RATING\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">among<\/a> the best defenses in the NBA. This resurgence on defense has made the Spurs a formidable opponent despite their rebuilding phase.<\/p>\n<p>Under Wembanyama\u2019s leadership, San Antonio has <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/nba\/san-antonio-spurs-team-game-log?season=2024&amp;seasonType=reg&amp;category=defense\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recorded<\/a> five or more steals in every game this season. This streak is their second-longest to start a season in the last 30 years. The Spurs are tied for the third-best steal streak in the league, further highlighting their defensive consistency.<\/p>\n<h3>Building a Defensive Legacy<\/h3>\n<p>Unicorn is a term often used in the NBA to describe unique talents, and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/03\/spurs-victor-wembanyama-proving-wise-beyond-his-years\/\" target=\"_self\">Wembanyama<\/a> fits the label perfectly. His combination of size, athleticism, and defensive instincts is unlike anything the league has seen before. Winning the first NBA Western Defensive Player of the Month award is a testament to his ability to anchor a defense and lead by example.\u00a0At this pace, Wembanyama is already making a compelling case for the Defensive Player of the Year award.<\/p>\n<h3>A Defensive Phenom in the Making<\/h3>\n<p>Wembanyama\u2019s rebounding numbers also highlight his importance. He has grabbed 149 <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/defense?CF=MIN*GE*100:PLAYER_NAME*E*Wemb&amp;PerMode=Totals&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=DREB\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rebounds<\/a>, making up <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/traditional?PerMode=Totals&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=REB\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">25<\/a>% of the Spurs\u2019 total rebounds. These contributions ensure that opponents rarely get second-chance opportunities, further solidifying San Antonio\u2019s defensive presence.<\/p>\n<p>The NBA has seen plenty of extraordinary talents, but Wembanyama\u2019s skill set is rewriting the playbook. His ability to dominate on defense while contributing offensively makes him a two-way threat that every team fears.<\/p>\n<h3>Victor Wembanyama\u2019s DPOY Resume is Becoming Full-Proof<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s not unreasonable to think that this is just the beginning for Wembanyama. His first Defensive Player of the Month award sets the stage for what could be a long career filled with defensive accolades. The 2024-25 season may well be the year he adds Defensive Player of the Year to his growing resume.<\/p>\n<p>For now, Wembanyama has shown why he is one of the most exciting players in the league. His contributions go beyond statistics, as he inspires his team and sets an example for what a franchise cornerstone should be. With many seasons ahead, Wembanyama\u2019s defensive dominance might soon become the norm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Victor Wembanyama is redefining defensive excellence in his sophomore NBA season. The San Antonio Spurs\u00a0big man has emerged as a dominant force on the defensive end, recently earning the first-ever Kia NBA Western\u00a0Defensive Player of the Month award for October and November. This accomplishment solidifies Wembanyama\u2019s status as one of the league\u2019s most unique and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":110551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,34],"tags":[49979,49873,558,563,4669],"class_list":["post-110245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-spurs","tag-2024-25-nba-season","tag-defensive-player-of-the-month","tag-defensive-player-of-the-year","tag-nba-western-conference","tag-victor-wembanyama"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110245"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110549,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110245\/revisions\/110549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}