Victor Wembanyama is a generational defender who's already won a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year trophy in just his 3rd season. It's almost unfathomable to think of him losing out on that award when healthy for the next 10 years, but one man stands the best chance at upsetting him: Detroit's very own Ausar Thompson. Unlike other top defenders in the league, Thompson can approach Wemby's defensive value while playing a completely different style of defense.
Thompson is a different beast on defense
Among the other top 5 defenders in the league, practically every one besides Thompson is a towering rim protector. Among those players, Wembanyama stands tallest, both literally and metaphorically. Between his unparalled length and great timing, Wemby has rim-protecting abilities that no other player can match. It's no wonder that he has led the league in total blocks every season of his career.
Over an entire season, no fellow center can match Wembanyama's production and advantages. He's officially listed with a 7'4" height and 8" wingspan, which give him ridiculous broadband to shut down the entire paint. Already, it seems like the best way for another center to win DPOY is for Wembanyama to be too injured for awards qualification.
However, we saw a shift in the playoffs towards valuing Thompson as a more versatile defender. Wembanyama still wrecked havoc on opposing teams during his run to the Finals, but finally saw some drop in defensive value against the Knicks. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were able to attack him in ways that made him uncomfortable by using their strength and taking him off the dribble.
On the other hand, Thompson absolutely dominated in every facet of defense during his playoff run. He finished his second postseason averaging 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Not only did he provide exceptional rim protection for a wing, but he also shut down opposing perimeter entirely on his own; just ask Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson.
Detroit will give Thompson opportunities to dominate
No matter what other turmoil the Pistons face, Thompson seems locked in as their defensive cornerstone for the next several years. Even with his lackluster offense, he's already proven to be a very useful player solely from his defense - both in the regular season and playoffs.
Especially if the Pistons have big changes at the center position, Thompson's defensive value will be even more obvious. His combination of off-ball disruption and on-ball lockdown defense are hard to find in any player throughout NBA history. Last season was the first that the wider NBA audience woke up to Ausar's monstrous defensive impact, but it won't be the last.
As the league continues to shift in favor of guard play, Thompson's brand of defense could become more valuable in voters' minds. He'll never be able to protect the rim like Wemby, but Wembanyama also can't guard star guards like him either. At least Ausar Thompson will have some shot against a healthy Wembanyama in DPOY voting if voters prefer Thompson's defensive style.
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