At this point, Victor Wembanyama is more than living up to the initial hype around him. Not surprisingly, the French youngster is often compared with the greats of the league. A former NBA Coach of the Year even claimed that the rookie player will soon join Michael Jordan and Giannis Antetokounmpo in one particular category. During the NBA on TNT show, former NBA player and coach turned analyst Sam Mitchell commended Wemby’s game and skill set. 

Praising the rookie’s unprecedented basketball IQ and defensive skills, Mitchell claimed that Victor Wembanyama has the potential to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same year. What’s more, Mitchell sees it happening rather soon. “What we’re about to see in the next two or three years – the MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year all rolled into one. Because I was in Toronto the night he had ten block shots. If you try him, it’s not going to go well for you. I saw it with my own eyes. Toronto tried it,” Sam Mitchell explained. 

A historic feat, only three greats in the league have been able to master. In the 1987-88 season, Michael Jordan won both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year titles. Another star who managed to achieve this feat is the Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo. And many might forget The Dream who won both awards in 1994 before going to win the NBA championship and Finals MVP award as well. That’s the company Sam Mitchell sees Wemby in just a few years down the line. 

This must not have been easy for Sam Mitchell to admit, or witness. After all, Toronto is where the 60-year-old won his COTY Award in 2007 and acted as Head Coach for 4 years. Despite this, he had to give Victor Wembanyama his chops for the display he put on against the Toronto Raptors.

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Victor Wembanyama’s ridiculous rookie campaign

Coming in on a 7-game losing streak, the San Antonio Spurs needed a burst and they got it in the form of 10 blocks from their 7’4 rookie. His season high helped San Antonio break the streak and defeat the Raptors 99-122.

In just his rookie season, if there’s anyone who has the potential to beat Rudy Gobert in the race category, it is San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. With 3.5 blocks per game, the Spurs star has the better stats but still has second best odds to win the award this year. Not just Mitchell, even Kyrie Irving who once got blocked by the rookie star, has noted the rookie’s excellence, “He does bait you a lot. He does things like a Defensive Player of the Year would.” 

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While he may not win the DPOY title this year, as mentioned by Sam Mitchell, there’s a big chance that we might see him take home this honor in the future. What is your take on this? Let us know in the comments section below.

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