Victor Wembanyama just achieved a historic milestone in the NBA.
On Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs rookie became the first ever to be selected for the All-Defensive First Team.
Wembanyama was joined by Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo, Herb Jones, and Anthony Davis on the first team.
The second team featured Alex Caruso, Jalen Suggs, Derrick White, Jaden McDaniels, and Jrue Holiday.
Gobert received all 99 first-team votes, leading the way as an exceptional defender for the Timberwolves.
Two weeks ago, Gobert also won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
Wembanyama, known for his stellar defense, received a high number of votes and was recognized as a top defender in the league.
The All-NBA teams will be revealed soon, following the recent changes in voting criteria to focus on the most deserving players.
This year saw a significant shift towards positionless voting, resulting in deserving players like Adebayo and Davis making it to the All-Defensive First Team.
What is the biggest takeaway?
The move towards positionless voting aims to recognize the best defenders in the league.
Adebayo’s breakthrough to the first team after being a second-team selection for years is a positive outcome of this change.
There are still questions surrounding how perimeter players’ defense will be judged compared to bigs in this new voting system.
What was the biggest surprise?
The inclusion of two players each from the Timberwolves and Celtics, the top defensive teams, on the All-Defensive teams was a pleasant surprise.
Who suffered the biggest snub?
The Oklahoma City Thunder, despite their strong defensive performance, did not have any players selected for the All-Defensive teams.
Luguentz Dort and Chet Holmgren were among the notable players who narrowly missed out on a spot.
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(Photo of Victor Wembanyama and P.J. Washington: Jerome Miron / USA Today)