What Victor Wembanyama Stat is Overlooked?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Dec 26, 2024 1:45 PM ET

It's no secret that the best defensive player suits up for the San Antonio Spurs. Victor Wembanyama has been a dominant defender ever since he stepped onto an NBA court, and his defense is a big reason why he is the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week. This season, he is leading the NBA in blocks with four per game and 99 total rejections to his name.

Over the past five games, he is averaging 6.6 blocks per game, which is otherwise unheard of. His 99 blocks on the season is six more than the Miami Heat have as a team.

The next best shot blocker in the NBA is Walker Kessler, who is averaging 2.9 swats per contest. On the Spurs, Charles Bassey is behind Wembanyama, averaging 1.1 blocks per game.

Wembanyama's shot blocking is so dominant that he accounts for 47.6 percent of all of the blocks by San Antonio. Last season, he averaged 3.6 blocks, good enough to amass 43.5 percent of the Spurs' blocks.

Taking that stat one step further, Wembanyama's 99 blocks are good for an absurd 2.2 percent of all of the blocks in the entire NBA. Last season, his 254 total blocks were good enough for 1.4 percent of the league's rejections.

If Wemby remains on the same pace this season, he will finish his second year in the NBA with 272 blocks, the most since Marcus Camby in 2008, although Camby only averaged 9.1 points that season. Wembanyama is posting eye-popping defensive numbers while also being a top scorer.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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