Thunder could directly thwart Victor Wembanyama's chances of accomplishing major feat

Victor Wembanyama will forever be linked to the OKC Thunder due, in large, to the highly entertaining rivalry that was seemingly established between him and big man Chet Holmgren.

Throughout the 2023-24 campaign, the duo was undoubtedly ahead of the pack as far as rookie talents were concerned, ranking in the top two in total points, field goals made, rebounds, and blocks.

Ultimately, however, Wemby was the one who ended up impressing the voters most when it came to end-of-season awards, as he managed to edge out Holmgren in the Rookie of the Year race, receiving 495 total votes compared to 295.

Though the Thunder youngster may not have taken such a finish personally, as he has gone on record to acknowledge that both he and the Spurs stud were worthy of winning the prestigious moniker, to many of the franchise's faithful followers, it sparked a rage and fury that may only be tempered with successes at the expense of Wemby.

While there are bound to be a bevy of ways such situations can be experienced, ESPN's Tim MacMahon recently highlighted a specific scenario that could thwart the French phenom's end-of-season award aspirations in 2024-25.

Thunder could directly impact Victor Wembanyama awards chase

With the regular season just about ready to come underway, the odds-makers have already come out with who they believe the favorites to win the league's most prestigious awards should be.

After finishing second in the running for Defensive Player of the Year last season, the expectation is that Victor Wembanyama will wind up running away with the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, as he boasts the best chance of doing so among all major betting outlets.

However, on a recent appearance of The Hoop Collective Podcast, MacMahon noted that the Thunder could, in theory, play a role in preventing the San Antonio stud from accomplishing such a lucrative feat, as he highlighted the importance that team defensive ratings can have in the awards races.

"Last year, the Spurs finished 21 in defensive rating. When Victor was on the floor it was at a level that would have been fifth. They've got to at least be top half of the league. A team can't be bottom ten in defense and have a guy be Defensive Player of the Year... Oklahoma City is interesting because I think it's fairly likely that the Thunder have the number-one defense in the league... There are four Thunder players listed among the [Defensive Player of the Year] odds here. You've got Chet, [Alex] Caruso, [Lu] Dort, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all listed... If Oklahoma City is way above and beyond the rest of the league it will be interesting to see how that impacts Defensive Player of the Year voting," MacMahon said.

Dating back to 2012-13, each Defensive Player of the Year recipient managed to guide their respective clubs to top-three finishes in the defensive rating department, and the only time since 2000 where the winner of the award was attached to a sub-top-10 defensive unit was in 2006-07 when Marcus Camby and the 12-ranked Denver Nuggets did so.

As noted by MacMahon, the Spurs finished 21 in this category with a rating of just 115.6 in 2023-23 and had Victor Wembanyama's sensational 3.6. blocks and elite defensive rating of 106 for 71 games on the season.

Though counting stats certainly play a part in the decision-making process during awards season, based on recent history team success on the less glamorous side of the ball is a major factor.

For Wemby to claim the DPOY trophy for himself, he'll need to help elevate San Antonio's production in a major way during his sophomore go, and perhaps even contend for the top spot in the pecking order. That said, MacMahon believes the Thunder's dominance on this end of the floor could serve as a major hurdle along the way.