Wemby Reveals New 'Standard' for Spurs Season After Becoming 'Best Defender on the Planet'

Victor Wembanyama is already the "best defender on the planet," but the San Antonio Spurs star is raising the standard even higher going into the 2026-27 campaign.

"I've got a lot of growth to do," he told reporters. "I'm saying this because I have coaches that hold me to a very high standard. And now the standard isn't being the best on the planet anymore. It's being better than last year."

Wembanyama being even better is surely a terrifying idea for the rest of the NBA.

After all, his resume already includes a Defensive Player of the Year, three block titles, two All-Defensive nods, a Rookie of the Year, an All-NBA First Team selection and a Western Conference Finals MVP at 22 years old.

Being better than last year would be astounding, as he led the Spurs to the NBA Finals and took home that Defensive Player of the Year behind 3.1 blocks per game.

According to Basketball Reference, Wembanyama led the league in defensive rebound percentage (33.9), block percentage (9.4), defensive wins shares (5.0) and defensive box plus/minus (4.2), underscoring that his overall impact on that end of the floor goes well beyond just the number of shots he blocks.

What's more, there are all the shots that don't even happen, as his presence in the paint consistently discourages opponents from even driving the lane at all.

But at just 22 years old, it shouldn't be surprising Wembanyama is looking to improve. He has more experience in the league, fell just short of a championship and now seems in line to take another step.

It's just that the idea of the best defensive player in the world getting even better is surely a jarring one for offensive players.