Recently, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama laid out an argument for why he should be favored to win league MVP over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In doing so, he may have inadvertently strengthened another OKC Thunder star's case to earn an end-of-season honor himself.
While revealing his three main campaign bullet points, Wemby kicked things off by saying that "defense is 50 percent of the game" and suggesting that it has been "undervalued" by voters up to that point.
Since making these claims, the race for MVP has tightened immensely, with the big man's emphasis on his defensive play serving as a major reason for why.
Though these pleas may ultimately prove futile in his push for the Michael Jordan Trophy, as Shai is still widely regarded as the favorite to take home the hardware, it seems they have shed much-needed light on how defensive efforts have historically failed to carry significant weight in non-defensive categories, which, in turn, could lead to a shift in the voting thought process.
Should said shift actually come underway, it would only stand to benefit Chet Holmgren and his All-NBA candidacy.
Uptick in defensive recognition may lead Thunder star to All-NBA honor
Back in early March, The Ringer's Zach Lowe made the bold claim that Holmgren was merely "on the outside looking in" on earning an All-NBA bid this season due, in large part, to his lack of offensive pop.
Though he finds himself averaging a career-best 17.0 points per game on 55.3 percent shooting from the floor, the veteran sportswriter believes his lack of self-creation and inconsistent scoring production (at the time Lowe's case was made, it had been over a month since the big man scored 20 or more points) could serve as a real detractor in his pursuit of one of the three five-man teams.
However, should people start to heed Wembanyama's words, Holmgren's defensive efforts should more than make up for any offensive shortcomings he may have.
We're talking about someone who ranks third in the league in total blocks (125), fourth in opponent field goal percentage (42.7) and shots contested per game (10.0), third in defensive win shares (0.176), and first in defensive rating (102.6) among those who have logged 60 or more games played.
It's largely because of his defensive prowess that Chet ranks sixth in plus-minus (9.4) while the Thunder places first by a wide margin in defensive rating (106.0) and in overall record on the season at 62-16.
Frankly, the fact that he's this effective on the defensive end, while still remaining as productive as he has been on offense, absolutely warrants him a spot on an All-NBA team.
Wembanyama's recent remarks should only reinforce this fact.