DPOY Race Could Reignite Chet Holmgren's Rivalry With Victor Wembanyama

The young stars are on the shortlist of favorites ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Feb 29, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) battle for position in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City and San Antonio have young stars inside, and their rivalry will only continue to grow.

Last season, Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama battled for the Rookie of the Year for much of the season before the 2023 No. 1 pick pulled away to win the award unanimously. While Holmgren finished runner-up, he was an integral part of the Thunder’s rise to the West’s No. 1 seed.

Although the star centers are entering Year 2 with the Rookie of the Year race behind them, another award could soon force the two to collide again. Wembanyama enters this season as the heavy favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, but Holmgren is among the shortlist of players set to challenge for the award.

Both players are athletic 7-footers who can guard inside and out but are especially good rim protectors. Last season, Wembanyama led the league in blocks with 3.6 per game, while Holmgren finished fifth at 2.3.

Wembanyama will have an improved supporting cast this season and could even challenge for MVP votes if the Spurs can sneak into the postseason. However, the Spurs’ defensive numbers will not compete with the Thunder’s.

The Thunder will contest for the league’s No. 1 defense next season after finishing with a top 5 mark last year. Meanwhile, any improvement from last season’s bottom five placement will be a welcome sight.

In that sense, the Defensive Player of the Year cases could look strikingly similar to last season’s Rookie of the Year battle. Wembanyama’s raw numbers are likely to look much better than Holmgren’s, and that could be enough to win him the award.

However, if his stats are not overwhelming, the Thunder’s success could push Holmgren to the top. The past 17 Defensive Players of the Year have starred on teams with a top 5 defense, with Marcus Camby’s 2006-07 campaign being the most recent exception.

Considering a jump from 27th to 5th or higher is nearly impossible in one season, Holmgren should have history on his side. But with a generational player on the other side, history might not matter much for Holmgren if Wembanyama continues to build on his incredible rookie season.

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