At this point, it goes without saying that Victor Wembanyama is the best defender in the NBA. At only 20 years old, he has led the league in blocks in both of his seasons and is the runaway favorite to win DPOTY this season.
However, he also excels as an elite offensive player. This year, he is averaging 23.6 points, 3.6 assists, and is shooting 34.1 percent from behind the arc while remaining a dominating interior force. During the San Antonio Spurs' recent win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Wembanyama finished with 25 points and made three of his seven 3-point shots, including one off a pass from Chris Paul that registered CP3's 12,092nd career assist, passing Jason Kidd for the second-most of all time.
In a recent interview on ESPN with Malika Andrews, Paul discussed the great players he has shared the court with over the years. Tyson Chandler, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan all got their praise, but Paul thinks that Wembanyama is the most versatile teammate he has ever had thanks to his ability to throw down dunks with ease and show off limitless range as a 7-4 center.
"You don't know where it's going to be," said Paul of passing to Wembanyama. "It's going to be at the 3-point line, it's going to be a lob, I think every game that goes by, I just appreciate Vic more and more...it was pretty fitting that I gave him the pass to move up on the list."
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Wembanyama missed two games in a row before Paul's record-breaking night with a back injury but made sure he got his place in the history books, helping Paul cement his spot as one of the greatest point guards to ever suit up.
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This story was originally published December 11, 2024, 3:56 PM.