Bleacher Report recently ranked Victor Wembanyama 36th on their list of the 99 best defenders in NBA history. That ranking is too low, full stop, and the case for why is stronger than you might think.
A Resume That Speaks for Itself
Yes, Wembanyama has only played three seasons, and longevity matters in any all-time discussion. But the Spurs’ generational big man transcends the usual standards used to evaluate defensive greatness. He’s already a once-in-a-generation defender, if not a once-in-history one.
His accomplishments to date are genuinely remarkable: one Defensive Player of the Year award, two All-Defensive First Team selections, and the league lead in blocks in all three seasons of his career. Compared to many of the players Bleacher Report ranked ahead of him, though, that resume might look somewhat modest on paper, since plenty of his peers on the list boast their own DPOYs alongside seven, eight, or even ten All-Defensive selections, not to mention championships if that factors into the conversation.
Why Awards Alone Don’t Tell the Full Story
It’s understandable that voters would want to respect decorated, long-tenured defenders like Jrue Holiday, Sidney Moncrief, and Mark Eaton. But should longevity really outweigh sheer defensive impact? Even sticking strictly to the awards conversation, there are legitimate gripes here.
Not all accolades carry equal weight. Wembanyama won the only unanimous Defensive Player of the Year award in league history while becoming the youngest player ever to claim the trophy, and he’s also the youngest All-Defensive honoree of all time. That context matters enormously, especially considering some players ranked above him, including Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Jason Kidd, and Chris Paul, don’t have a single DPOY between them. Frankly, those players are fortunate that awards were even part of the ranking criteria, because pound for pound, few of them could match Wembanyama’s individual defensive impact in a vacuum.
Already One of the Greatest Rim Protectors Ever
Analysts and fans alike constantly describe Wembanyama as a rim protector unlike anything the league has ever seen, yet his ranking doesn’t reflect that reality. Several accomplished big men placed ahead of him, including Marcus Camby, Nate Thurmond, Mark Eaton, and Alonzo Mourning, were all elite defenders of the paint in their own right, but none of them altered the course of games, or entire playoff series, the way Wembanyama already has.
Consider this: Wembanyama is tied with Eaton for the highest career blocks-per-game average in NBA history. His 7-foot-4 frame allows him to cover more space and take away more scoring opportunities than most players are even physically capable of contesting. He’s an unparalleled rim protector in terms of raw ability, and the results are already speaking for themselves.
Given that rim protection is inherently more valuable to winning basketball than perimeter defense alone, it becomes genuinely difficult to justify ranking players like Iguodala, Paul, Kidd, Tony Allen, and Michael Cooper ahead of him.
The Throne Is Coming
As for the legends currently sitting above him, including Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Ben Wallace at the very top of the list, they should enjoy their current placement while it lasts. Wembanyama is on track to eventually claim the title of greatest defender in NBA history. It’s simply a matter of when, not if.
