Draymond Green lives for this stuff. Victor Wembanyama, the 20-year-old phenom, just wrapped his rookie season with averages of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and an absurd 3.6 blocks per game. Then he went on live television and, without blinking, declared himself the "front-runner" for next year's MVP. You could practically hear Green cackling from his podcast studio. Draymond respects that kind of audacious self-belief. It's the same fire that fueled his own rise from a second-round pick in 2012 to a four-time NBA champion and Defensive Player of the Year. He sees a kindred spirit in Wemby's conviction, a young guy who isn't just talented but knows it, and isn't afraid to say it out loud. That's a trait Green values above almost anything else in a competitor.
Here’s the thing: Green also absolutely hates it. Not because he doubts Wembanyama’s potential – few players in league history have put up a 5x5 game (27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals, 5 blocks against the Lakers on February 23rd) as a rookie. No, he hates it because it’s a distraction. Green has spent his entire career preaching the gospel of team basketball, of putting winning above individual accolades. When he joined the Warriors, they were a playoff team, but it wasn’t until his defense and playmaking truly blossomed alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson that they started winning titles in 2015. Wemby, meanwhile, just finished a season where the Spurs went 22-60, good for 14th in the Western Conference. His incredible individual numbers, like that 40-point, 20-rebound game against the Knicks on March 29th, often came in losses. Green knows that MVP conversations, especially for a player on a losing team, can derail development and create internal friction. He's seen it before.
Look, Green understands the media game. He understands building a brand. But he also understands the cold, hard truth of the NBA: individual awards are secondary to banners. If Wembanyama truly wants to be an MVP, he needs to first focus on making the Spurs a legitimate playoff threat. That means improving his efficiency (his 46.5% field goal percentage isn't bad, but it can get better), and more importantly, elevating the play of everyone around him. Green’s Warriors didn’t win because one guy was MVP; they won because Curry, Thompson, and Green himself were all selfless, playing a beautiful brand of basketball. My hot take? Wembanyama won't sniff an MVP trophy until the Spurs win at least 45 games. The league just doesn't hand that award to players on lottery teams, no matter how spectacular their highlights are. Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't win his first MVP in 2019 until the Bucks had the best record in the NBA at 60-22.
So, while Green admires the moxie, he’s probably also shaking his head. He's thinking, "Kid, focus on winning. The rest will follow." My bold prediction is that Wembanyama will put up even more insane numbers next season, maybe even average a triple-double, but the Spurs will still miss the playoffs, and the MVP trophy will go to someone like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose Thunder team will secure a top-two seed in the West.