CBS Sports Picks Wembanyama for 2 NBA Awards as 2026-27 MVP Race Widens

Q: Did the Spurs' risky three-guard lineup actually propel Wembanyama to his projected MVP crown last season?

No. The evidence suggests San Antonio’s three-guard look was more of a high-upside experiment than the main engine of Victor Wembanyama’s MVP case last season. Wembanyama’s projected 2026-27 MVP push is rooted in what he already proved in 2025-26: elite two-way production, a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year season, and San Antonio’s jump to 62 wins and the West’s No. 2 seed. He averaged about 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in 64 regular-season games, then led the Spurs to the NBA Finals. That is the foundation voters are responding to. The three-guard lineup with De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper was barely used last season and did not perform well in the limited sample. Reporting cited only 69 total minutes together, including 25 in the Finals, and opponents outscored San Antonio by 47 points in those minutes. By contrast, the two-guard pairings were positive: Fox-Castle, Fox-Harper and Harper-Castle all posted better net results. There is a plausible indirect benefit. Coaches and players believe putting more handlers around Wembanyama can ease creation burdens and unlock pick-and-roll actions centered on him. Wembanyama himself said having “handlers all around me” makes things easier. But that idea has shown more promise in preseason than proof over a full season. So if Wembanyama wins MVP, it will be because of his health, dominance and the Spurs’ record—not because the risky three-guard lineup already carried him there last season.

Q: Looking back at the 2025-26 predictions, did the 65-game rule ultimately rob a superstar of an award they deserved?

Yes. The strongest case is Anthony Edwards, who played at an awards level in 2025-26 but was ruled out by the 65-game requirement after appearing in only 61 games. The searched material shows Edwards averaged 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks. More importantly, he was still being discussed as a top-five player and a legitimate major-award caliber force. Because the rule bars players below 65 games from consideration for MVP, All-NBA and several other honors, he had no pathway to formal recognition despite that production. Victor Wembanyama was the opposite example. The preseason fear was that the threshold might cost him MVP or Defensive Player of the Year, but it did not. He reached exactly 65 appearances, qualified in time, and won Defensive Player of the Year unanimously. Reporting around the award also noted that he barely cleared the line, making him the clearest demonstration of how decisive the rule can be without actually being harmed by it. LeBron James also loomed as a possible casualty because of injuries and load management, but the available material only shows him nearing the cutoff, not that he was definitively denied a deserved award. So, looking back at those 2025-26 predictions, the 65-game rule did not rob Wembanyama. If there was a superstar who appears to have been deprived of award consideration he plausibly deserved, Edwards is the best example.

Q: Which heavily favored 2025-26 rookie completely collapsed under the pressure of their team's crowded rotation?

None of the heavily favored 2025-26 rookies can be fairly described, based on the provided reporting, as having “completely collapsed” under the pressure of a crowded rotation. The closest name tied to that concern was Dylan Harper, because San Antonio’s backcourt was crowded with De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell around Victor Wembanyama. CBS and the supporting reports explicitly framed Harper’s Rookie of the Year chances as role-dependent. But the follow-up reporting shows the opposite of a collapse: Harper was projected to start, later averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 assists and 50.5% shooting in 69 games as a rookie, and even earned stronger internal belief from the Spurs after a productive playoff run. Cam Boozer was the main Rookie of the Year favorite because of expected usage, not despite a rotation crunch. AJ Dybantsa’s main obstacle in the material was health — a mild ankle sprain — rather than being buried by teammates. Caleb Wilson was mentioned as a contender whose impact would depend on minutes, but there is no evidence here that he unraveled under pressure either. So if the question is asking for a specific player, the available evidence does not support one. Harper faced the most obvious crowded-rotation issue, but the reporting indicates he handled it well rather than collapsing.

3 articles · Updated · CBS Sports · Oct 20

Victor Wembanyama emerged as the clearest consensus pick in CBS Sports' 2026-27 award forecast, with staffers broadly backing him for Defensive Player of the Year and many also choosing him for MVP.
The case rests on two themes: his dominance when healthy and the NBA's 65-game eligibility rule, which several voters said makes DPOY almost automatic for Wembanyama if he reaches the threshold.
MVP drew more debate, with Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić cited as main challengers even as staffers argued voter fatigue could hurt Gilgeous-Alexander's three-peat bid.
Rookie of the Year looked like the most open race, though Cam Boozer was the most common pick; other staff choices included Dybantsa and Caleb Wilson, reflecting expectations of another parity-heavy awards season.
That parity theme runs through the broader forecast after recent seasons produced waves of first-time winners, with roster churn and younger stars reshaping races from Coach of the Year to Clutch Player.