🏀 5x5 | Royce Webb

🏀 5x5 | Royce Webb

Advanced Stats Say Victor Wembanyama Is the Greatest Defender Ever

Wemby’s defensive impact puts him among — or above — the most impactful offensive stars

Jeremias Engelmann's avatar
Jeremias Engelmann
Nov 10, 2026
∙ Paid
Wemby reaches for the sky. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)


Offensive superstars impact the game to a larger degree than great defenders: NBA fans know this intuitively, and we have statistical evidence to prove it.

But Victor Wembanyama is challenging that assessment. Why? Because his defensive impact appears to dwarf even that of historical greats, including Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo.

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Jeremias Engelmann's avatar
A guest post by
Jeremias Engelmann
Basketball analyst. Creator of ESPN's Real Plus-Minus. Formerly with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks
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