Spurs' Victor Wembanyama earns league's best defender title from NBA GMs

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San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama found himself all over the annual survey of NBA general managers conducted by NBA.com. He topped three categories, Best player to start a franchise with, Best Defender and Best Interior Defender.

The poll also saw Wemby receive votes as the league’s Best Power Forward, get three percent of the vote in both the Best Center and Best International Player categories, tie for third place in the Most Versatile category, and tie for second in both the Most Versatile Defender and Most Likely to Have a Breakout Season questions.

Wemby’s Spurs came in second as the Team that Will Be Most Improved this season and fourth as the Team with the Most Promising Young Core. Both nods are only possible because of the reigning unanimous Rookie of the Year’s presence.

Victor Wembanyama atop list of franchise starters

By a whopping 77%, the 7-foot-5 phenom tops all players NBA general managers would want to start a team. The rest of the list looks like this:

T-2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder – 10%
T-2. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets – 10%
4. Luka Doncic, Mavericks – 3%

Jokic, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and Finals MVP, got the top spot in this category last year with 33%.

It’s actually not a surprise that Wembanyama finished number one here. If anything – with respect to the other outstanding players on this list – that anyone else received votes may surprise. By just about every account, from analysts and many fans, the 20-year-old has a very good opportunity to go down as one of the game’s absolute greats. Along these same lines, he nearly topped the Player Most Likely to Have a Breakout Season poll.

1. Jalen Williams, Thunder – 13%
T-2. Evan Mobley, Cavaliers – 10%
T-2. Ja Morant, Grizzlies – 10%
T-2. Victor Wembanyama, Spurs – 10%
T-5. Paolo Banchero, Magic – 7%
T-5. Cade Cunningham, Pistons – 7%
T-5. Brandon Miller, Hornets – 7%

Wemby Voted Best Defender By GM’s

The French phenom beat out his fellow country man as the Best Interior Defender in the NBA according to the general managers.

1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio – 40%
2. Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves – 37%
3. Anthony Davis, Lakers – 10%
4. Bam Adebayo, Heat – 7%

It stands to reason then, that Wemby also finished first as the Best Defensive Player in the NBA.

1. Victor Wembanyama, Spurs – 40%
T-2. Bam Adebayo, Heat – 10%
T-2. Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves – 10%
T-2. Jrue Holiday, Celtics – 10%
T-5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks – 7%
T-5. Anthony Davis, Lakers – 7%
T-5. Herb Jones, Pelicans – 7%

It marked yet another landslide win for the Spurs star center in a year that comes with huge expectations, including from some who know the league best.

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