GM Survey Puts Wembanyama in MVP Tier — and Harper on Breakout Watch
Most GMs still rank Jokic the top center, but they're betting Wemby takes over the league — and tabbed Dylan Harper, 23.6 FPTS/G last year, as a breakout.
GMs tapped him for a breakout; #159 overall is a cheap gamble.
- Wembanyama turns 23 on Jan. 4, entering year 4
- Averaged 6.3 pts in 4th quarters this past playoffs
- Harper: 11.8/3.4/3.9, 23.6 FPTS/G last season (2025-26)
- Only 3 of last 10 GM polls nailed the MVP winner
- GMs still rank Jokic over Wemby as best center
The annual GM survey landed with the Spurs stamped all over it, and Victor Wembanyama is the centerpiece. League executives slotted him squarely in the 2026-27 MVP conversation alongside Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic — the same Jokic most GMs still picked ahead of Wemby as the league's best center. For now.
Wembanyama is only entering his fourth season and won't turn 23 until Jan. 4. The case for him is already physical and tangible: he has to be defended by all five guys, he's guarding two offensive players at once, and he logged 6.3 points per game in fourth quarters during this past playoff run. That's the profile of a closer, not a project.
Wemby's Ceiling Is Still Climbing
The two-way argument is what separates him. If his playmaking catches up to his defense, the comp isn't a center — it's a tier of one. Scouts around the league see triple-double potential, and the shot-blocking intimidation alone gives him an edge in any award race. He may never pass like the Joker, but he doesn't need to in order to win MVP and DPOY in the same year — something no one's pulled off since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1993-94.
A word of caution on surveys, though: only three of the last 10 GM polls correctly called the MVP, and only three nailed the champion — two of those being easy Golden State layups. GMs project confidence, not certainty. The difference this time, per the respondents, is roster depth. These Spurs are deeper than most of the teams that got hyped and flamed out.
The Dylan Harper Angle
The sneakiest fantasy nugget here isn't Wemby — it's Dylan Harper. GMs flagged him as a breakout candidate, and he closed last postseason already playing like a real piece. In 2025-26 he put up 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists over 69 games, good for 23.6 fantasy points per game and our rank of #159 overall (#79 at his position). That's a bench-level cost for a guy executives think could produce like an All-Star.
For fantasy managers: Wembanyama is untouchable and you're not getting him cheap, so this is a Harper play. At #159 overall he's a low-risk buy-low or late add in deeper leagues — the upside is a backcourt that pops if the GM crowd is right. Grab the share now before a hot stretch prices him out.
