The predictions have been fulfilled. The 20-year-old French center, Victor Wembanyama, has been crowned the NBA’s best rookie of the year. He is the third European player and the sixth non-American to achieve this, following a path that Pau Gasol opened in 2002 and that Luka Dončić last stepped on in 2019. He has also achieved it unanimously among the 99 members of the jury. .
The French center, number one in the draft last year, he arrived in American professional basketball raising great expectations. Although his team, the San Antonio Spurs, has had a terrible season, the 2.23 meter tall French player has dazzled both in attack and, especially, in defense. In fact, he is nominated for defensive player of the year, an award that has never been won by a rookie.
Wembanyama had as rivals Chet Holmgren, of the Oklahoma City Thunder, chosen number two in the draft of 2022, but who spent the previous season blank after an injury, and Brandon Miller, of the Charlotte Hornets, number two in the draft 2023. At times, it seemed that Holmgren could challenge Wembanyama for hegemony, in part because with his help the Oklahoma City Thunder have been the best team in the regular season. However, the distinction for best rookie is an individual award and as the months go by, no one has overshadowed the favorite.
In fact, Wembanyama has been chosen in first position unanimously by the 99 members of the jury. It is the sixth time this has happened. Previous unanimous rookies of the year were Ralph Sampson (1983-84), David Robinson (1989-90), Blake Griffin (2010-11), Damian Lillard (2012-13) and Dominican-American Karl-Anthony Towns ( 2015-16). Holmgren has been voted second by 98 of the jurors, while Miller was voted second by 83 and third by 83. The American of Mexican origin Jaime Jaquez Jr., of the Miami Heat, was fourth.
“My goals were always to help my team as best as possible and to improve as the year progressed,” Wembanyama said in an interview on the TNT channel after the award was announced. “I knew that to achieve it I had to be individually good on the court and dominant. So it’s been a huge thing for me and a big thing to achieve. It has always been very important and I am glad that it is finally official,” he added.
Wembanyama’s statistics reflect its superiority. The center finished the regular season with an average of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He achieved two triple doubles (10 or more points, rebounds and assists) and a whopping 43 times in 71 games he reached double digits in two sections, a astronomical distance from the rest of the rookies. This, despite the fact that his coach, Gregg Popovich, dosed him, so he was on the court for 29.7 minutes per game (Nikola Jokić, favorite for best player of the season, played an average of 40.5 minutes ).
His triple-double against Toronto of 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks made him the fifth player in NBA history with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks in a game. He has been the fourth fastest player to reach 1,000 points in his NBA career, even surpassing Michael Jordan.
He has also been the youngest in NBA history to achieve a 5×5 (27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and five blocks). In a game against the Timberwolves he became the second player in history to achieve at least 20 points and 20 rebounds under 20 years old.
It’s not just the statistics. Added to this is the spectacular nature of his game. He has done things never seen before in the NBA, like the dunk against the Celtics that became, the Instagram version of him, the most viewed social media post in NBA history, or the one he executed against Minnesota Timberwolves after throwing the ball onto the backboard to give himself a self-pass. With his height and wingspan, he creates impossible blocks, sometimes with the tips of your fingerssometimes above the rim. And there has never been a player of his size who has such ability to vote and pass the ball.
During the season he gained aggression and confidence and improved his game the closer he got to the basket, although he still likes to shoot threes whenever he sees the opportunity. As he gains experience and size it will be seen if the omens that he is called to mark an era in the NBA come true. “It’s spectacular, he is a crack on the court and off the court, in every sense. He has a lot of room for improvement,” Xavi Schelling, the Spaniard on the Spurs technical team, who holds the position of Director of Player Performance and Welfare, pointed out in Washington in January.
“Physically, the work will never end,” Wembanyama said on TNT when asked about his future progression. “I have had a plan for my entire body prepared for months and we are going to continue discovering new ways to improve and work on my body. For basketball, there are many things I want to work on,” he added.
Wembanyama is the third rookie of the year player in San Antonio Spurs history. The previous two, David Robinson (1989-90) and Tim Duncan (1997-98), were able over the years to lead the team to become champions.
Wembanyama is also a finalist for the defensive player of the year award. He has as rivals his compatriot Rudy Gobert, of the Timberwolves, who has won it three times (2018, 2019 and 2021) and the American Bam Adebayo, a mainstay of the Miami Heat. Both have similar statistics to Wembanyama in rebounds and steals, although they are behind in blocks. Never has a rookie taken that title. This Tuesday we will know if it makes history in this regard.
The jackpot remains to be awarded, the best player of the regular season, the MVP par excellence, which Joel Embiid achieved last year. The favorite is Nikola Jokić, of the Denver Nuggets, who already won it in 2021 and 2022. The other two finalists are Luka Dončić, of the Dallas Mavericks, and Shai Gilgeous Alexander, of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If the Serbian achieves his third distinction, he would equal Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone in that department. Above him would still be Karemm Abdul-Jabbar (six awards), Bill Russell and Michael Jordan (five each), and Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James (four). Legendary players among whom Wembanyama also aspires to be one day.
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