Victor Wembanyama has been named Western Convention Defensive Participant of the Month for his work in January, the league introduced.
The uncooked numbers are laborious to argue with. Wemby was the one Western Convention participant to get 100+ rebounds, 25+, and 10+ steals, in keeping with Spurs PR. He did it whereas lacking two video games and solely enjoying 27.7 minutes an evening, which makes it much more spectacular. The Spurs had the third-best defensive score in January.
The curious factor is, Wembanyama was arguably not at his greatest in January, by the attention take a look at and a few superior statistics. Nonetheless, a considerably erratic Wemby is healthier than most defenders within the league, and his impression as a deterrent for drives and photographs near the rim is tough to measure. His strong particular person work and the staff’s success make the excellence unsurprising and well-earned, and it’s encouraging to know Wembanyama might be even higher.
The Pistons’ Ausar Thompson was named Defensive Participant of the Month within the East after main Detroit to the most effective defensive score within the league by a major margin in January.
Earlier recipients of the excellence within the West had been the Thunder’s Cason Wallace in November and Chet Holgrem in December.
Wembanyama is averaging 24.1 factors, 11.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and a league-leading 2.7 blocks in 28.9 minutes a sport this season.
