San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama doubled down on his candidacy for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award Wednesday night, one week after first lobbying for the honor. The 7-foot-4 rookie exploded for 41 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks on 16-of-22 shooting in just 29 minutes during the Spurs’ road win over Golden State.
“I do care deeply about the MVP award,” Wembanyama told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. “If I want to make my spot among the greats, I’ve got to try to not miss any occasion to put my name up there.”
San Antonio has surged to a 26-2 record since Feb. 1, while Wembanyama is averaging 30.0 points and 15.8 rebounds over his past five games. Despite that run, Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander—whose Thunder have won 15 of 16—remains the betting favorite after three 40-point outings in his last eight appearances.
Even if the MVP trophy eludes him, Wembanyama appears positioned for Defensive Player of the Year honors. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called him “obviously the best defensive player in the league” after Wednesday’s matchup, praising his command on both ends of the floor.
Harper accepts smaller role on veteran Spurs roster
Last season’s No. 2 overall pick, guard Dylan Harper, is logging only 22.3 minutes per night—well below fellow top-five rookies Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel. Harper told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears that contributing to a contender outweighs individual playing time. “I might come off the bench, but in a month or so I will be playing in the playoffs,” he said. “Not many rookies can say that.”
Williamson realistic about uncertain Pelicans future
League observers widely expect New Orleans to explore trading forward Zion Williamson this summer because of his injury history and fit beside emerging star Derik Queen, according to Yahoo Sports’ Yaron Weitzman. Williamson said he hopes to stay but understands the business side. “New Orleans is home for me,” he noted. “But … I could be traded in the offseason, or I could be traded before next season’s trade deadline.”
Udoka experiments with Rockets’ starting five
Houston head coach Ime Udoka shuffled his lineup this week, starting forward Tari Eason against New York on Tuesday before reinstalling rookie guard Reed Sheppard versus Milwaukee on Wednesday, The Houston Chronicle reported. The changes produced immediate success: Houston’s starters outscored the Knicks 43-25 in 14 minutes and the Bucks 39-21 in just under 13 minutes. “We want to formulate what we want to go to this late in the season and getting into the playoffs,” Udoka said. Houston has five or six games remaining to finalize its rotation.
Source: HoopsRumors
