Wembanyama's MVP call is right, and Luka's 40-point nights don't change it

Victor Wembanyama told 60 Minutes he should win MVP this season, and he's right. The better part came a few seconds earlier. Jon Wertheim reminded him that he'd said last year he should have won it, and Wembanyama asked, "Did I?" Asked again whether he should have won it, he said no. Then, per the CBS transcript, he laughed and said, "I should win it this year though."

That's the order you want from a star. Admit last year wasn't yours, then claim this one. Most guys at his level do it backward and spend a whole summer explaining how they got robbed.

Now the loud counterargument, because it's a good one. Luka Doncic put up 42 points and 13 assists Monday night as the Lakers beat Miami 138-117. The AP has that as his fifth straight game with at least 37 and his fourth 40-point game in five, and he's averaging 43.4 over the run. The Lakers are 6-2. If you want to tell me that's the MVP case right now, I get it. It's the most fun thing happening in the league.

It's also a streak, and I don't hand out trophies for streaks. Points are the easiest thing in basketball to count, which is exactly why people overcount them. Doncic's case so far is built on what he scores. Wembanyama's is built on both ends, and he's the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. On Saturday he dropped 43 and blocked six against Minnesota, and he got to 40 by blocking Jonathan Kuminga's 3, running the floor and finishing with a two-handed dunk. One trip changed the scoreboard twice.

The game I'd actually show a doubter is Monday's, the night after the interview aired. He scored 12. He went 5 for 15, 0 for 5 from 3, and turned it over five times. That's a bad shooting night and I'm not going to dress it up. He also had 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 24 minutes, and San Antonio beat Utah 119-97 to get to 5-2. Your best player can't hit a jumper and you still win by 22? That's an MVP night. A box score built for a highlight package isn't.

The best case against him isn't Luka anyway. It's last June. San Antonio was favored in the Finals and lost to the Knicks in five, and the 60 Minutes piece says he was far from his best and shows his cheap shot on Jalen Brunson. He didn't duck it. "It showed my limits more than anything else," he said. Voters have long memories. But the Finals aren't in the regular season, and the regular season is the only thing this award is supposed to measure.

Yes, it's seven games. I've spent years telling you October means nothing, and I still believe it, which means Doncic's five-game run means nothing yet either. So here's my offer. Check back at the All-Star break. If Luka's still scoring 40 a night and the Lakers are ahead of the Spurs, I'll write the column saying I blew it, and Tank can read it out loud to me. Until then, the 22-year-old who turned down last year's trophy on national TV gets my imaginary ballot for this one.

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