Victor Wembanyama’s defensive résumé is already getting loud, and Bleacher Report’s latest all-time ranking somehow found a way to undersell it.
The San Antonio Spurs star just finished a wildly successful 2025-26 season, one that featured the highest defensive regularized adjusted plus-minus (D-RAPM) in NBA history and ended with Defensive Player of the Year honors. For a player only in his third season, that’s not just impressive - it’s the kind of start that forces people to rethink where he belongs in the defensive pantheon.
Still, Bleacher Report placed him 36th on its list of the greatest defensive players in NBA history. That number feels absurdly low for someone who has already built an historic three-year run to begin his career.
Wembanyama is still climbing, too. His defensive game is not finished; it’s still expanding, which makes the ranking even harder to justify. At this point, it’s fair to say he’s already separated himself from most of the names in the conversation.
I’d argue he’s already the third-best defensive player in Spurs history, behind only Tim Duncan and David Robinson. That’s a serious statement for any player, let alone one this early in his career.
The numbers back up the hype. Teams were actively steering away from attacking him in the paint, and he averaged more than three blocks per game last season. He also changes shots on jumpers, which makes it nearly impossible for opponents to get comfortable shooting over him or even near him.
Bleacher Report may have chosen caution by slotting him 36th, but his peak already stacks up with the best of them. Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is one of the greatest rim protectors the league has ever seen, yet Wembanyama’s D-RAPM from last season was nearly two points better than Mutombo’s peak year.
And that’s before factoring in how much more room Wembanyama has to grow. He’s only 22, still learning the finer points of defense - things like walling off the paint while taking away jumpers. Even his shot-blocking technique can get sharper, especially if he keeps jumping less on block attempts, which would help him avoid giving up offensive rebounds or picking up fouls.
That’s the part that should make everyone uneasy. Wembanyama is already an all-time great defensive player, and he may still be getting started. Bleacher Report’s ranking doesn’t really reflect that.
In Other News...
Chris Paul Still Cannot Believe What Wemby Went Through Before Spurs
Chris Paul spent part of his time in San Antonio doing more than just helping the Spurs on the floor. As a veteran voice in the locker room, he also served as a mentor for younger players, including Victor Wembanyama, and one of the most striking parts of that relationship was learning how different the French stars path to the NBA really was. Paul talked about the contrast between the American high school-to-college pipeline and the European academy system, where basketball development is built around a very different structure.
Wembanyama came up through that route in France with Nanterre 92s academy, which is a long way from the familiar U.S. model most NBA players know. For Paul, the broader lesson was less about basketball skill than about perspective, because Wembanyamas upbringing reflected a level of independence and a developmental track that simply does not exist for most young American prospects. [Read more 🡒]
Bleacher Report Ranking Spurs Sixth Is A Massive Snub
Bleacher Reports latest look at NBA starting fives gave the Spurs a spot that feels a little light for a team coming off a Western Conference title run. Even with the offseason shuffle around the league, San Antonios case is built on something a lot of contenders still have to prove: continuity. The group already knows how to play together, and compared with some of the teams slotted ahead of it, theres a strong argument that chemistry and health give the Spurs a cleaner foundation.
San Antonio also has a lineup that may not stay fixed for long, which only adds to the intrigue. Dylan Harper and Tobias Harris are both names to keep in mind as the season unfolds, and the Spurs have enough flexibility that performance could change the look of the starting five before long. For now, though, the bigger question is whether a team that just won the West really belongs chasing respect rather than setting the standard. [Read more 🡒]
The Spurs Are Becoming The Playoff Team Nobody Wants
The Spurs are starting to look like the kind of playoff opponent nobody in the West wants to see, because the roster gives them more than one way to beat you. Victor Wembanyama is already the obvious problem, a 7-foot-4 rim protector whose presence can warp a game plan, but the larger issue is how San Antonio can keep changing the terms of the matchup from one night to the next.
If teams load up on Wembanyama, the Spurs have downhill answers in Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, and if the series turns into a more physical grind, they can lean on size and depth with Luke Kornet, Tarris Reed Jr. and eventually Jayden Quaintance. That flexibility is what makes them so awkward to prepare for, because they can survive a defensive slog or turn it into a faster, more open game without giving opponents much comfort either way. [Read more 🡒]