There’s no doubt that Victor Wembanyama was one of the most talented prospects the NBA has ever seen, and the second-year big man is living up to the hype in the early stages of his career with the San Antonio Spurs. However, even though he’s constantly praised for what he does offensively due to his length and versatility, his calling card continues to be what he brings to the table on the defensive end.

Wembanyama’s defensive instincts and shot-blocking ability have installed him as the best rim protector in the NBA by a wide margin. Wembanyama has recorded six of the seven instances where a single player has seven or more blocks in a game this year. The lone exception is another young player, rookie Donovan Clingan, who had eight blocks in Portland’s win over the Timberwolves on Nov. 13.

To put things into context, other elite defensive players haven’t recorded more than six blocks in a game this season. That list includes Anthony Davis, Chet Holmgren, Jay Huff, Brook Lopez, Rudy Gobert and Ivica Zubac.

Wembanyama notched 10 blocks in a 114-94 win over the Trail Blazers on Dec. 21, a game in which he also recorded 30 points. He has had one game with nine swats, two with eight and two with seven. One of those games with eight blocks came Monday, when he finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and eight blocks in a 114-110 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

🔟 BLOCKS FOR VIC! pic.twitter.com/1B4HfMECgS

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 22, 2024

Throughout the season, Wembanyama is averaging 4.0 blocks per game. Even though there’s more than half of the 2024-25 campaign to be played, Wemby is posting the 16th-best mark in blocks per game. It’s also the best mark since the 2000-01 campaign, with the previous best per-game mark belonging to Theo Ratliff, who averaged 3.74 blocks.

From 1990 onwards, Wembanyama’s per-game mark is considered the sixth-best per-game output. The list of players above him is one full of all-time greats: Dikembe Mutombo (twice, 1995-96 and 1993-94), David Robinson (1991-92) and Hakeem Olajuwon (twice, 1991-92 and 1992-93), with each of those players averaging more than 4.1 blocks per game.

Wembanyama is poised to be a dominant player on both ends of the court as he continues to grow into his game. But right now, and roughly 100 games into his NBA career, he’s already walking uncharted territory for a player this young. He’s tracking towards historical paces not seen this century and it’s only Year 2.