Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has secured his second straight NBA MVP trophy. Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama finished as runners-up. The MVP award result was deserved.
Wembanyama’s Late Season Surge
At 27, Gilgeous-Alexander is in his prime. Despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s stellar season, questions arise about whether Victor Wembanyama has overtaken him as the league’s best player.
Wembanyama’s performance, particularly in the latter part of the season, has sparked this debate. Wembanyama was a really good player for the first three months … and then completely went nuclear during the stretch run.
Between February 1 and the season’s end, the Spurs had a plus-23.4 net rating when Wembanyama played. This was the league’s best mark by a wide margin. When Wembanyama was off the court, the Spurs’ net rating was plus-0.7.
- Spurs record when Wembanyama played at least 15 minutes: 7-1
- Spurs record when Wembanyama did not play at least 15 minutes: 1-2
- Spurs net rating with Wembanyama on the court: plus-21.9
- Spurs net rating with Wembanyama off the court: plus-7.1
Individual Performance After February 1
Wembanyama increased his numbers in points, rebounds, assists and true shooting after February 1. This occurred despite a slump from the 3-point line. He recorded 10 of his 13 games with a game score above 30 after February 1.
Wembanyama’s back-to-back 41-point performances came on March 30 and April 1. He only played 29 and 30 minutes in those two games.
The improved numbers were supported by an increase in his block rate. The eye test also backed up his improved play.
League Perception
One mission at the NBA Draft Combine was to ask execs from the other 29 teams if they thought Wemby had supplanted Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić as the league’s best player. Mostly, I was met with chortles.
The league’s scariest talent is still getting better. Rapidly.