At this point, it is nearly impossible for a basketball enthusiast to be unaware of Victor Wembanyama. Similar to NBA icons LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, the Spurs rookie has garnered media attention on a regular basis and is already in line to win “rookie of the year.”
He’s been compared to LeBron James for his remarkable stats in his first five games during this season, has overshadowed future Hall of Famers Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Chris Paul during the pre-season final bout of Spurs vs. Warriors, is currently ranked sixth in terms of defense, and is ranked third in the clutch points leaderboard.
In their first 5 games:
Wemby: LeBron:
20.6 PPG 16.8 PPG
8.0 RPG 7.6 RPG
1.6 APG 6.6 APG
3.6 BLK + STL 2.4 BLK + STL
50/32/73% 44/17/70% pic.twitter.com/LQU3aBQVZo— WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) November 3, 2023
A multi-faceted player, no doubt. But as much as the 7’4” rookie is heavily favored to become ‘rookie of the year’, there’s always at least one player bound to emerge to make him fight for it, and that is none other than Oklahoma City Thunder’s very own monster rookie, Chet Holmgren.
On social media X, Bleacher Report displayed a comparison of the two rookies’ current stats.
So far, Wembanyama has an average of 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 48.9% fg, and 31.3 3P%. Meanwhile, Holmgren logged an average of 17.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 62.5% fg, and 56.5 3P%.
Despite Wemby having the upper hand in the standings, it is clear that Holmgren also has a chance of winning the title, as he is within striking distance of his figures.
This year’s race for ROTY 🍿 pic.twitter.com/LhMwLa6rCQ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 6, 2023
What fans have to say
In the comments section, the fans were split regarding who’s more likely to win the award at the end of the season. While some fans said that Wemby was already set in stone to become the recipient of this year’s ROTY, others disagreed and said that Chet had a better performance and thus was also worthy of the award.
One X user wrote, “Wembanyama is the type of player that can change the game of basketball. Really. A unique combination of size, skill, and athleticism that the NBA has never seen before. He has the potential to be the most dominant player in the league since Michael Jordan.”
Wembanyama is the type of player that can change the game of basketball. Really. A unique combination of size, skill, and athleticism that the NBA has never seen before. He has the potential to be the most dominant player in the league since Michael Jordan.
— Derick D (@jeazous) November 6, 2023
While another one noted of Holmgren’s recent stint against the Warriors, “I seen what Chet did to my Warriors, even though they lost, that dude looked great no cap. It’s a TOSS UP at this point.”
I seen what Chet did to my Warriors, even though they lost, that dude looked great no cap. It’s a TOSS UP at this point.
— newcount (@WFLNMW) November 6, 2023
Additionally, a fan pointed out how the two differed, saying, “Statistically chet is the better player, but wembanyama has the wow factor.”
Statistically chet is the better player, but wembanyama has the wow factor
— B. Mann (@okbulldog133) November 7, 2023
It is too early to determine which of the two contenders will receive the award, however, at this stage of the competition, it is evident that the public has already established their favorites.
Cover Photo: YouTube