Draymond Green calls Victor Wembanyama making MVP case about defense 'an indictment on the game of basketball'

On Monday, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama publicly made a case for himself to win the MVP award this season. After the Warriors’ win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, Golden State forward Draymond Green weighed in on Wembanyama’s self-promotion.

“I hated it, and I absolutely loved it,” Green said of the debate. “The reason I hated it is because until Wemby say defense is 50% of the game, it’s like, ‘Oh, man, no one realized that.’ No one realized that 50% of the game we play is on that end of the floor. So, he comes out and makes this profound-ass statement, and it’s like, ‘Oh, of course it is.’ And everybody’s like, ‘Oh, man, he has a great point.’ Hello? You think?

“I hated that he had to do that for it to be said. All of a sudden, you turn on the TV and everybody is like, ‘Actually, maybe Wemby is the MVP.'”

While Wembanyama has firmly remained in the MVP race this season, he’s trailed behind other more-established players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. However, Wembanyama believes his effect on the defensive end of the court should earn him the most coveted individual award in basketball.

“Defense is 50% of the game and that is undervalued so far in the MVP race. I believe I’m the most impactful player defensively in the league,” Wembanyama said Monday.

Wemanyama is averaging a league-high 3.1 blocks per game. The next closest player is Thunder center Chet Holmgren, who averages just 1.9 blocks per contest. When Wembanyama isn’t swatting an opponent’s shot, he’s still affecting it.

The Spurs boast the third-best defensive rating in the NBA. Along with his outstanding defense, Wembanyama is averaging 24.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, while shooting 50.5% from the field and 35.1% from beyond the arc.

Green doesn’t necessarily disagree with Wembanyama’s assertion that he deserves MVP. Instead, Green hates the fact that the 7-foot-4 sensation had to explain why.

“It’s an indictment on the game of basketball,” Green said. “Everybody wants to crush Luka Doncic when Luka doesn’t live up to the standard of defense. But we got this guy defending entire teams and nobody took it into account until he said defense is 50% of the game.

“I want to give him so much credit for such a profound statement, but was it really that profound? But it’s so true. Yet it took for him to say that.”