Victor Wembanyama immediately finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting as a rookie, and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups believes the 20-year-old will win numerous awards in the future
Countryman Rudy Gobert has won the award four times in recent years (2018, 2019, 2021, 2024), but the 32-year-old remains a controversial figure in the NBA cosmos. The “Stifle Tower” also has clear weaknesses for Billups. “He’s a great defender, but he’s not as versatile as a Ben Wallace was,” Billups said on “Sheed and Tyler’s Podcast”.
Wembanyama is different. “He’s not Gobert. Are you guys crazy? He’s going to win the next ten Defensive Player of the Year awards,” Billups is certain. In contrast to Gobert, Wemby can make an impact on defense in different ways and is also many times more talented offensively.
“You can’t play Wemby off the field “
In his rookie season, the 20-year-old averaged 3.6 blocks (league-best) and 1.2 steals per game. With Wembanyama on the court, the San Antonio Spurs, who finished last in the Western Conference, had an outstanding defensive rating of 105.8.
“You can’t play Wemby off the court,” Billups continued, noting that this also distinguishes him from Gobert, who was unplayable in various matchups, especially in the postseason. According to the Blazers coach, Wemby is a game changer who can anchor a defense and will also lead his team to deep playoff runs with offense.