Now for the acknowledgement after an incredible debut season in the NBA. The league revealed on Sunday that Victor Wembanyama, a generational prospect for the San Antonio Spurs, is among the three candidates for the Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year titles. The news, however, is hardly shocking.
The Spurs star is very certain to win ROY, but his chances of winning DPOY are lower, despite the fact that a number of prominent people have either stated they voted for him or that he merits careful consideration.
The other ROY contenders are Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren and guard/forward Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets.
In early 2024, Wembanyama took charge when the OKC star won the first two Rookie of the Month awards of the season and established an early lead in what was effectively a two-man contest.
The 7-foot-5 phenomenon beat his 7-foot counterpart to win the monthly award for the first time in January, averaging 24.0 points, 9.6, and 3.3 blocks per game in addition to earning his first of two NBA triple-doubles (including 10 blocks). Since, Holmgren has not prevailed.
Wemby had sort of confronted Chet by the time the season concluded, and by then, he had fled. Specifically, Wemby guided his bottom-seeded side to victory over Holmgren and the top-seeded OKC on the final day of February when they faced each other. Wembanyama, who dominated his opponent in every statistical category, ended the game against the Thunder with a huge 3-pointer and then, late in a play that would prove symbolic, blocked Holmgren’s shot.
In the five games that he participated in in April, Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, and an incredible 5.6 blocks per game—two of which were against Nikola Jokic and the reigning Denver Nuggets.
Wembanyama’s season averages were as follows: 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals.
Holmgren’s averages looked like this: 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 2.4 assists and 0.6 steals.
For his fourth DPOY, fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert is the clear favorite. The three-time All-Star averaged 2.1 blocks and 12.9 rebounds while leading a defense that helped the Minnesota Timberwolves secure the third seed. The team finished 56-26, one game shy of the best record in the Western Conference.
With 3.6 blocks per contest, Wemby lead the league. Similar to his 7-foot-1 countrymate, he averaged 10.6 rebounds per game, or double digits.
Gobert, however, has a higher defensive rating than the 20-year-old (8.4 DR), at 9.2.
But perhaps most crucially, the Timberwolves have a considerably superior record. And although many believe a team’s performance shouldn’t matter as much—like TNT TV commentator Ernie Johnson, Jr., who disclosed on Sunday that he voted for Wembanyama in the category—many voters seem to disagree. They see Gobert’s influence convert into victories.
The third finalist for Defensive Player of the Year is Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat.
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