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Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the second quarter of the game against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on March 23, 2026 in Miami, Florida.
The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the stories of the NBA season. Victor Wembanyama has been the story within the story. In just his third year in the league, the 22-year-old has pushed himself into the MVP conversation in a way that has the basketball world paying attention.
On Monday night, after a Spurs win over the Miami Heat, Wembanyama made his case publicly. Defense is 50 percent of the game, he said. His team is 4-1 against MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The argument was direct, detailed, and impossible to dismiss.
Draymond Green had a lot to say about it after Wednesday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets.
What Green Said About Wembanyama’s MVP Push
GettyVictor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
Green’s reaction was layered. He loved it and hated it at the same time, and he was clear about why.
“I hated it and I absolutely loved it,” Green said, per Anthony Slater of ESPN.
The love was straightforward. Green has long been a believer in self-advocacy during award season, and he has lived it himself. He made noise about his own Defensive Player of the Year case last March from a similar podium. He finished third in voting. The lesson he took from that experience was clear.
“With these awards, if you don’t talk, people can’t see,” Green said. “With the game of basketball, let’s not act like everyone can just open their eyes and know what’s going on. Until Evan Mobley finally said something last year, no one was going to give him Defensive Player of the Year. If you don’t come out and speak for yourself, it don’t work.”
He credited Wembanyama for understanding that reality. “I tip my cap to Wemby for being willing to sit up there on that platform and say, ‘This is why,’” Green said. “Not hide from the question. Not just assume they’ll figure it out. No, they won’t. I’m happy he’s smart enough to know they won’t figure it out. You don’t help them see it, damn it they can’t see.”
Why Green Also Hated It
GettyDraymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
The hatred came from a different place entirely. Green’s frustration was not with Wembanyama. It was with the reaction that followed.
“Wemby said, ‘Defense is 50% of the game,’ and it was like, oh, no one realized that?” Green said. “No one realized that 50% of the game we play is on that end of the floor?”
The idea that a generational defensive talent had to explicitly point out the value of defense for the basketball world to suddenly take notice landed hard with Green. He has been making this argument for years.
“It’s an indictment on the game of basketball,” Green said. “Everybody want to crush Luka Doncic when Luka doesn’t live up to the standard of defense. But we got this guy defending entire teams and nobody took it into account until he said defense is 50% of the game. I want to give him so much credit for such a profound statement, but was it really that profound? But it’s so true. Yet it took for him to say that.”
Where the MVP Race Stands
GettyShai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Green stopped short of declaring Wembanyama his MVP pick, saying “maybe he is” while leaving room for the conversation to develop. Gilgeous-Alexander remains the favorite. Wembanyama is the long shot, though a compelling one.
What is not in doubt is his case for Defensive Player of the Year. Wembanyama is the runaway favorite for that award. He has played in 57 regular-season games and must appear in seven of the Spurs’ final 10 to qualify for postseason awards. Assuming he does, the DPOY trophy appears to be his.
The two will meet on the court next Wednesday night when the Spurs visit the Golden State Warriors on ESPN. Green will get a front-row seat to everything Wembanyama brings.
Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins
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