Green: Wembanyama shouldn't have to state importance of defense - ESPN

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said he «hated» and «absolutely loved» the MVP self-promotion from San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama on Monday night.

Green made clear after Wednesday night's 109-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets that he enjoyed Wembanyama's willingness to publicly advocate for himself but didn't like what the national response to it revealed about the consumption and coverage of basketball.

«Wemby said, 'Defense is 50% of the game,' and it was like, oh, no one realized that?» Green said. «No one realized that 50% of the game we play is on that end of the floor?»

Wembanyama presented a three-pronged argument after the Spurs' win over the Miami Heat, noting his team's 4-1 head-to-head record against MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, his offensive impact beyond scoring and the accepted fact that he is clearly the most dominant defensive force in the league.

«Everybody says he has a great point,» Green said of Wembanyama's reminder that defense is half the game. «Hello? You think? I hated that he had to do that for it to be said. All of a sudden, you turn on the TV and everybody is like, 'Actually, maybe Wemby is the MVP.'»

Green wasn't ready to declare Wembanyama his choice for MVP, saying «maybe he is» but there remains work to be done. He then rerouted his answer to the understanding of the defensive end.

«It's an indictment on the game of basketball,» Green said. «Everybody want to crush Luka Doncic when Luka doesn't live up to the standard of defense. But we got this guy defending entire teams and nobody took it into account until he said defense is 50% of the game. I want to give him so much credit for such a profound statement, but