The NBA today announced that Victor Wembanyama has been named the NBA’s first-ever Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month for October/November. Kicking off the inaugural season of the award, Wembanyama is joined by Hawks guard Dyson Daniels in the East.
In 16 games to start the season, Wembanyama led the league with 3.56 blocks per game and 57 total blocks while averaging 1.31 steals in October/November. He also accounted for 45.9% of the Spurs total blocks. The sophomore’s 103.8 defensive rating helped anchor the Spurs to an eighth-ranked defense and has put them among the top three shot-blocking teams in the league.
A season after becoming the first rookie in NBA history to be named All-Defensive First Team, opponents shot 104-262 from the field last month when guarded by Wembanyama as he held a 39.7% defended field goal percentage. Within four feet of the rim, teams took 3.3% fewer shots when Wembanyama is on the floor and shot just 38.2% within four to 10 feet.
Led by Wembanyama, the Spurs are currently 7-2 when holding opponents under 110 points and have recorded five-or-more steals in every game this season, their second-longest such streak to begin a season over the last 30 years and tied third-best in the NBA this season.