![Draymond Green Makes Case for Rookie Victor Wembanyama to Win DPOY](https://static0.givemesportimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/wemby-dray.jpeg)
rookie has already established himself as one of the most dominant young players in the NBA. Standing 7-foot-4, the Spurs center was for the third-straight month, and is a clear lock to win Rookie of the Year. But according to one fellow superstar, ROY isn't the only award Wembanyama should take home this offseason. On a recent episode of his podcast, forward , recanting on a previous argument that he had made that the rookie be snubbed of the award. "I know I said on here a little while back that Wemby shouldn’t be Defensive Player of the Year. I lied. Wemby should be the Defensive Player of the Year. Because he is that amazing defensively." — Draymond Green Green recently got a first-hand look at Wembanyama's defensive abilities, with the Warriors topping the Spurs 117–113 in San Antonio on Sunday. After the game, Green was sure to get Wembanyama to sign a jersey for his young son. But the young center earned praise from Green for traits beyond his post-game niceties. "Wemby is definitely the Defensive Player of the Year. The way he impacts the game on the defensive end, whether it’s off the ball, on the ball, it’s a problem. When you start driving to the hole, and guys may have a lay-up, maybe not, and they just turn out and go the other way, that’s a problem. That’s a blocked shot in a sense, and no one will account for that." — Draymond Green Wembanyama May Already Be a Star, but the Spurs Need to Improve Around Him Despite Wembanyama's immediate stand-out ability upon making the jump to the
NBA, he has not been able to single-handedly carry the Spurs from the basement of the Western Conference. San Antonio has won just 18 games this year, and is on pace to finish in last place in the West and ahead of just two teams in the entirety of the NBA. Even Green, who had nothing but praise for Wembanyama as an individual, conceded that the Spurs still have plenty of work to do as a unit. "Take it with a grain of salt. Obviously, team record matters. Everybody that says team record doesn’t matter, it’s a lie. It definitely matters. And they’re not quite that good." — Draymond Green But still, Green was ultimately left in awe of what he's seen from the rookie center, and admitted to not knowing "what lab he was created in" during a hilarious evaluation of the Spurs big man. "Dude had nine blocks last night. That’s against the — the best team in the NBA. Nine blocks. ... I don’t know what lab he was created in, but I need to go create me a son in that lab, because dude is unbelievable." — Draymond Green