The basketball world held its collective breath in February when San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Wemby’s diagnosis — deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder — was frightening in a way that went far beyond sports. Luckily, Wembanyama is going to be okay, and a return to NBA action in 2025-26 is also expected for the phenom.
If Wemby is healthy this coming season, he might be capable of monstrous production. He averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game last year before his season ended, but there’s unbelievably a lot more room for growth.
Wembanyama’s greatest strength — and most advanced skill, at this point — is his otherworldly rim protection (hence the blocks). Had he stayed healthy last year, Wemby was a shoo-in to win his first NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
It’s no surprise, then, that ESPN’s “Summer Forecast” predicting the league’s major award-winners for next season pinned Wemby as the favorite for DPOY. The results of the “Summer Forecast” came from a panel comprised of NBA reporters, editors and analysts voting on each award, with each panel member tasked with ranking their top three candidates.
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With a first-place vote receiving five points and second- and third-place votes receiving three and one points, respectively, here’s how ESPN’s voting ended up for 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year:
1. Victor Wembanyama: 95 points2. Evan Mobley: 31 points3. Chet Holmgren: 20 points4. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 16 points5. Rudy Gobert: 14 points
ESPN’s Michael C. Wright provided further context on the voting.
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“Deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder essentially robbed Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama of winning his first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award last season because the 21-year-old failed to meet the 65-game threshold for eligibility when he was shut down on Feb. 20,” Wright wrote.
“Despite playing in just 46 games last season, Wembanyama led the league in blocks (176) by a wide margin over second-place finisher Brook Lopez (148 blocks). Plus, he averaged 1.1 steals for a Spurs defense that owned a defensive rating of 115.4 with him on the floor (121.4 without). If Wembanyama plays in league-required 65 games this season, it would be a surprise if he didn’t snatch the award by a landslide.”