Chet Holmgren Leaped by Victor Wembanyama in Recent NBA Rookie of the Year Ladder

Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren was jumped by Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama in the recent Rookie of the Year Ladder.

With another week of the NBA passing by, a new NBA Rookie Ladder has dropped. Over the past week, the Oklahoma City Thunder has found success holistically, but rookie center Chet Holmgren's numbers have dropped just a tad.

Again, the Thunder had a successful week of winning, and Holmgren is continually contributing to winning basketball, even when it isn't a glaring impact in the box score. Still, Holmgren is averaging 17 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting the ball efficiently. 

Still, Holmgren's slight drop in the box score has led to him being leaped by Victor Wembanyama in the recent NBA Rookie Ladder, written by Steve Aschburner. Wembanyama once again holds the No. 1 spot as Holmgren falls just behind at No. 2. 

"Five double-doubles in a row and two gaudy games against the Bulls (21 points, 20 rebounds) and Rockets (15, 18) bump the Spurs’ youngster to the Ladder’s top," Aschburner wrote of Wembanyama. 

Through 22 games, Wembanyama and the Spurs are dead last in the Western Conference at 3-19. On the contrary, the Thunder is the No. 2 team in the West at 15-7. 

Though it'll likely continue to fluctuate on a weekly basis -- because the Rookie of the Year race is that close -- Wembanyama always had the edge over Holmgren in the award race. He was the undoubtedly No. 1 prospect in this draft -- and in some analyst's eyes, the best draft prospect since LeBron James. He carried in a narrative that was always going to be difficult for Holmgren to overcome.

On top of this, Holmgren is the No. 2 or No. 3 option on the Thunder on a nightly basis. He averages the fourth-most attempted field goals per game on the Thunder. With this, his counting stats won't be nearly as shiny as Wembanyama, who is the focal point of the Spurs' offense. 

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.