Winner of the Defender of the Year award in 2017, Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) considers that Victor Wembanyama should be voted DPOY in his first NBA season with the San Antonio Spurs.

That’s rare enough to warrant a mention. Never soft on French players, and Rudy Gobert in particular, Draymond Green has broken his rule by showering Victor Wembanyama with praise. In a video posted on YouTube, the four-time NBA champion with the Warriors returned to the Future Defender of the Year (DPOY) debate, from which he had initially dismissed the Spurs rookie.

“I know I said recently that Wemby shouldn’t be defender of the year, and I lied, Wemby has to be defender of the year because he’s incredible defensively. The way he impacts the game defensively, whether it’s on the ball carrier or away from the ball, that’s a problem,” admitted the 2017 DPOY winner.

“I don’t know what lab it was created in, but I need to go create a son for myself in that lab because that guy is incredible.”

Green saw the extent of Wembanyama’s deterrent power last Sunday. The Spurs lost to the Warriors (117-113), but the number 1 in the 2023 draft shone (32 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks in 31 minutes). “When you see players attacking the circle and maybe they have a lay-up opportunity and they turn around…. It’s a real problem and ultimately it’s almost equivalent to a counter, but it’s not going to stand out statistically,” he elaborated. You attack the circle and go for the lay-up, then you see Wemby and turn around? That’s a counter. I don’t know what lab it was created in, but I’ve got to go create myself a son in that lab because that guy is incredible.”

This Article Was originally written by editorial staff at L’Equipe