Victor Wembanyama Set to Win Rookie of the Year By a Landslide

What do Kevin Durrant, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Ben Simmons, and Luka Doncic have in common? They all won the coveted NBA Rookie of the Year award during their debut season as professional basketball players. The 2023-24 Rookie of the Year is yet to be announced, but everything points to Victor Wembanyama winning the vote by a record and landslide margin.

The 2023-24 NBA regular season was one that San Antonio Spurs fans will want to forget about in a hurry. Their beloved team finished with a 22-60 (.268) record, resulting in a fifth-place finish in the Southwest Division and 14th in the Western Conference, extending Spurs’ playoff drought to five seasons. However, there was one bright spark among the doom and gloom at the AT&T Center: the meteoric rise of Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama.

NBA Teams Clamber For Wembanyama’s Signature

Much hype surrounded Wembanyama when he announced he was entering the 2023 NBA Draft. The 7ft 4in Frenchman had played professionally in his native France since 2019 and had become a dominant force on the court. Those making NBA bets online heavily backed Wembanyana to be the number one overall pick, and their predictions came true when the San Antonio Spurs selected the Frenchman first overall.

Wembanyama is considered one of the best basketball prospects of a generation, and his signature was fiercely contested. Wembanyama is so good that NBA commissioner Adam Silver went on record to say the league was paying close attention to teams tanking for the 2023 draft so they could climb the draft pecking order. Wembanyama is the first Frenchman to be drafted first overall and only the second European to be picked first behind Andrea Bargnani in 2006. In addition, he follows in the footsteps of David Robinson and Tim Duncan, who are the Spurs’ only other number-one picks.

San Antonio signed Wembanyama to a four-year, $55,174,766 contract, including $24,929,640 guaranteed. The French youngster will undoubtedly earn far more than that once his rookie deal expires at the end of the 2026-27 season.

Wembanyama Mania Is Real!

“Wemby” made his San Antonio Spurs debut against the Charlotte Hornets in an NBA Summer League game in front of a full house. It is fair to say he did not set the court alight, finishing with only nine points and eight rebounds, all while missing 11 of his 13 shots. A couple of days later, against the Portland Trail Blazers, Wembanyama showed glimpses of his capabilities, finishing with 27 points and 12 rebounds in an 85-80 defeat. The Spurs pulled Wembanyama from the remaining Summer League games in preparation for the upcoming 2023-24 NBA regular season.

His full NBA debut came on October 25 against the Dallas Mavericks. Wembanyama scored 15 points, two assists, two blocks, and five rebounds in a 126-119 defeat; this was a solid start to NBA life for the French rookie.

Only a week later, during a 132-121 win over the Phoenix Suns, Wembanyama put up a career-best 38 points, two blocks, and ten rebounds, joining Kevin Durant and LeBron James as the only teenagers to register at least 35 points, ten rebounds, and two blocks in a game.

Records continued falling at Wembanyama’s feet. He recorded eight blocks, 19 points, four assists, and 13 rebounds in a 120-108 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, joining Tim Duncan and David Robinson as the only Spurs players to enjoy at least eight blocks in a game as a rookie.

In December’s 121-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls, Wembenyama became the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game! By the turn of the year, Wembanyama set a new record for most consecutive games with a double-double with his eighth of the season.

January 10, 2024, is a date that Wembanyama will remember forever because it is when he put up his first career triple-double. He scored 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Spurs won 130-108 against the Detroit Pistons. By the end of the 82-game regular season, Wembanyama had another triple-double and a five-by-five and had become the first player since Shaquille O’Neal in 1993 to have a 40-20 game.

Wembanyama’s rookie season statistics are something else. He played 71 games, averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.7 turnovers, and 3.6 blocks, and had 42 double-doubles, which are fantastic figures for any player, but especially for someone considered to be in their rookie season.

Could Anyone Beat Wembanyama to the Rookie of the Year Title?

The short and correct answer is a resounding no. The NBA Rookie of the Year race has never been as one-sided as the 2023-24 edition. Wembanyama’s figures would be impressive if a seasoned pro put them up, so they carry even more weight, considering this was the Frenchman’s first season in the NBA.

Chet Holmgren is the only rookie who could realistically take Wembanyama’s crown. The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Holmgren second overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, but he was injured after an impressive Summer League. The Lisfranc injury Holmgren sustained during a Pro-am game kept the 7ft 1 in center in the treatment room for the 2022-23 season. Holmgren finished his rookie season having played and started all 82 games, averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks. Impressive numbers, but not a patch on “Wemby.”

How Far Can Wembanyama Go In The NBA?

It should be obvious that Wembanyama is destined to rise to the upper echelons of the NBA; the sky is the limit for the man from Le Chesnay. The fact that Wembanyama is already drawing comparisons to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain tells you how highly regarded he is. It is an exciting time to be a San Antonio Spurs fan right now, and that is because Wembanyama is a prodigious talent who could one day become the greatest basketball player to grace the NBA with his presence.

Victor Wembanyama Set to Win Rookie of the Year By a Landslide to SEC Sports Fan Blog

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