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Here's How Close Wemby Is to Taking Over the NBA — and Grabbing the Title of NBA’s Greatest-Ever Defensive Player

Advanced stats and video tell a very scary story

Jeremias Engelmann's avatar
Jeremias Engelmann
Apr 01, 2026
∙ Paid
Victor Wembanyama (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)


The San Antonio Spurs are the second-best team in the NBA — they’ve suffered just two losses in the last two months.

Yet, without Victor Wembanyama on the court, they are actually getting outscored by their opponents this season.

With his unique physical stature and playstyle, some proclaim Wemby is essentially breaking the NBA. That’s not crazy: He’s doing things no one has been able to do before.

Given that he’s just 22 years old, it would appear the rest of the NBA has a problem.

But let’s drill down to what’s really transformed Wembanyama into an MVP candidate and potentially the NBA’s best player — and perhaps the greatest defensive force basketball has ever seen.

Here’s the breakdown of where he is smashing NBA standards, based on advanced stats and video:

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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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