The race for MVP will be intense in the 2025-26 NBA season, and there are already odds-on favorites such as Nikola Jokic and the reigning Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But the quest for this trophy could expand in the upcoming months, and may include San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama.
Writing at Bleacher Report, Grant Hughes claimed that Wembanyama could take a big leap in the new year, as long as he remains healthy and his team stays somewhat competitive.
“If not for the deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder that cut 2024-25 short, Victor Wembanyama might not have qualified for this list. Prior to injury, he was playing at a level that warranted top-five MVP consideration. The only thing standing in the way of Wembanyama crashing the Jokic/SGA/Giannis tier of perennial MVP front-runners is team success. The Spurs won just 36 games a year ago, and they’ll probably need to knock on the door of 50 for voters to give Wembanyama serious thought. Of course, if he can put together the kind of individual season his track record suggests is possible, Wemby might just haul the Spurs to that victory total on his own,” Hughes wrote.
Wembanyama was well on his way to winning something last season.
His 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and league-high blocks per game were remarkable, and most people assumed he’d be named Defensive Player of the Year.
And while MVP might have been out of reach, he probably would have been in the conversation for that, too.
Sadly, his deep vein thrombosis pushed him to the sidelines, but that shouldn’t be a problem in the new season.
So if he is able to participate in at least 65 games, Wembanyama could be the frontrunner for DPOY again and could be a true MVP candidate.
While winning those prizes would be a huge accomplishment, Wembanyama also wants his team to succeed.
It’s been years since they have been true contenders, and Wembanyama wants to change that.
Being named MVP or Defensive Player of the Year would be terrific, but that’s not Wembanyama’s only goal for the new season.
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