There is a very real case to be made that the three best players in the NBA right now are all big men. Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic have won every league MVP award since 2018, and are all elite players.
One could argue that Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserve spots in the top three, but having the three dominating centers at the top shouldn’t ruffle any feathers.
CBS Sports recently released their player rankings, and among all NBA big men, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama came in fifth, behind the three MVPs and Anthony Davis.
Feb 23, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) moves the ball against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena.
© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
CBS readily admitted that Wembanyama has the potential to be the single greatest basketball player ever, but they don’t think he has done enough to pass Davis, who is a nine-time All-Star, five-time All-Defensive and All-NBA selections, and has received MVP votes in four seasons.
Davis is a better scorer than Wembanyama, especially near the rim, and is a better rebounder. However, once Wembanyama adds some muscle, rebounding will be a tighter race. Wembanyama is hands-down the better defender already, which is insane considering AD’s dominance. On offense, Wembanyama is a better playmaker and spaces the floor a bit better.
In their two matchups against one another last season, Wembanyama averaged an elite 28.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, five assists, nine ‘stocks,’ and shot 53.3 percent from behind the arc. Davis was just as good, averaging 32.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 2.5 stocks, and shot 50 percent from deep.
Head to head, they both have impressive resumes. That said, Wemby used the summer and the Paris Olympics as a coming-out party, leading France to a silver medal. In the Olympic Final against Team USA and Davis, Wembanyama put on a show, scoring 26 points to go with seven rebounds and solid shooting. America was afraid to take the ball to the paint against Wembanyama the entire game.
Davis was not bad in the gold medal game, scoring an efficient eight points to go with four blocks.
With a productive summer under his belt, Wembanyama can easily make a case that he’s closer to the MVP talent at the top of the list than Davis is, although CBS disagrees. By the end of the season, everyone will be singing a different tune.