A couple of weeks ago, Victor Wembanyama spoke with Jared Weiss from The Athletic about the 2026 MVP race in a post-game interview. He gave a few reasons why he feels he should be the front-runner for the award, with the biggest talking point surrounding defence. “Defence is 50 percent of the game, and that is undervalued, so far, in the MVP race…I believe I’m the most impactful player defensively in the league,” Wembanyama said.

He’s not wrong. Defence is 50% of the game, and his defensive rating is amongst the best in the league this season. The problem is, the NBA rarely awards defence when it comes to the MVP. Or rather, it’s rarely the deciding or sole factor in determining the winner. Rather, a player averaging a few more points per game, coupled with his team being seeded a spot or two higher, is usually what determines who wins. 

Out of the 70 seasons the MVP award has been presented, do you know how many times the award went to a player who averaged less than 20 points per game? Nine. And five of those went to Bill Russell in the 60s when the man was averaging damn-near 25 rebounds per game while still averaging close to 20 points per game. Two of those nine went to Steve Nash, a well-known liability on defence, but an offensive maestro whose passing ability is amongst the all-time greats (he still didn’t deserve that 2006 MVP over LeBron or Dirk, but that’s a conversation for another time). Wes Unseld’s MVP in 1969 may be one of the only times the award was given to a player predominantly for their defensive efforts.

Forget the MVP, “defence-first” players rarely even get considered for First Team All-NBA. Out of the past 20 Defensive Player of the Year award winners, only five were also selected to the First Team All-NBA team: Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, Kawhi Leonard, Joakim Noah, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Players who were also juggernauts on the offensive end, save for maybe Noah. Guys like Rudy Gobert, Dennis Rodman, and Draymond Green, players who rarely scored more than 15 points a game but have had multiple seasons of world-class defence, never even came close to sniffing a First Team All-NBA selection. 

The NBA loves offence. When the league’s scoring goes up, so do the ratings. This is why rules have shifted over the decades to reward the offensive player, and it’s why the MVP is an offence-first reward. Defence is important. It was a big part of why Giannis won over Harden in 2019. It’s why both of this year’s frontrunners are also noted for their defence. But rest assured, if Wemby was averaging 10 points per game instead of 25, the man would be called a “bust” by all the smooth brains over on r/NBATalk.

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