SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green applauded Victor Wembanyama for publicly pushing his own Most Valuable Player candidacy, but questioned why the rookie center had to remind people that defense represents half of basketball.
Speaking Wednesday night after the Warriors’ 109-106 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Green said he both “hated” and “loved” Wembanyama’s remarks from two days earlier. The San Antonio Spurs rookie had pointed to his club’s 4-1 record against MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, cited his overall offensive influence, and noted that he is widely regarded as the league’s most dominant defender.
“It bothers me that he even had to bring it up,” Green said, adding that national debate suddenly shifted once Wembanyama stated, in Green’s words, that “defense is 50 percent of the game.”
Green, a four-time NBA champion and former Defensive Player of the Year, stopped short of naming Wembanyama his personal MVP choice, saying the 20-year-old “might be” deserving but still has “work to do.” His larger point targeted what he sees as a general disregard for defense during awards season.
“People criticize Luka Dončić when he struggles on that end,” Green said, “yet someone anchoring an entire defense isn’t considered until he says something.” The forward argued that players often must campaign publicly to gain recognition, recalling his own media session last March that propelled him into the Defensive Player of the Year discussion, where he ultimately finished third.
Wembanyama has appeared in 57 regular-season games, plus the NBA Cup final, leaving him seven games shy of the 65-game threshold needed to qualify for postseason awards. If he meets that mark, he is widely projected to win Defensive Player of the Year but remains a distant challenger to Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP.
The rookie and Green will share the court next Wednesday on ESPN when the Spurs visit Chase Center.
Source: ESPN
