Despite OKC Thunder Rookie's Impressive Start, Wembanyama Still Leads Rookie of the Year Race
Coming into the 2023-24 NBA season, many league observers believed that the Rookie of the Year award would be a two-man fight between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama.
A little over one month into the season, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft and the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft have lived up to expectations, each producing a number of highlight performances in their first few weeks of NBA basketball.
In the Thunder's previous game, Holmgren went toe-to-toe with reigning MVP Joel Embiid, tallying 33 points, six rebounds, two assists and three blocks while shooting 13-of-21 from the field and 5-of-11 from the 3-point range.
A week prior to his impressive outing against the 76ers, Holmgren exploded for a career-high 36 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, knocking down a game-tying triple at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime.
So far this season, Holmgren is averaging 18.1 points, eight rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 56.4% from the field, 43.8% from beyond the arc and 88.1% from the free throw line.
Yet, despite Holmgren's impressive season, Wembanyama still has the top betting odds to win the Rookie of the Year award according to DraftKings, BetMGM and bet365.
In his first 17 games, Wembanyama is averaging 19.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. While Wembanyama may have better stats, his efficiency is significantly lower than Holmgren's shooting splits.
The 19-year-old Frenchman is shooting 43% from the field, 27.5% from 3-point range and 82.4% from the free throw line. Additionally, at 3-14, the Spurs are the last-place team in the Western Conference, whereas OKC sits at 11-5, which is good enough for second place in the West.
While some have argued that Wembanyama's numbers are more impressive because he is the only true offensive weapon on his team, Holmgren's supporters contest that the Thunder standout has had the better season due to his efficient shooting splits.
Regardless, both players have had phenomenal starts to their NBA careers that should make for an entertaining Rookie of the Year race as the season progresses.
Holmgren and the Thunder will have a tough task ahead of them on Tuesday night as Oklahoma City travels to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves in the final Group Play contest of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.
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