Category: Wemby

Rookie Wire Power Rankings: Victor Wembanyama maintains No. 1 spot after historic performance

Rookie Wire took a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2023-24 season.

The regular season is past the trade deadline and approaching NBA All-Star Weekend, with the top players in the game set to compete in various events in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The crop of rookies continues to perform well this season, resulting in some remarkable performances of late. Led by Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson and others, they have captured national attention and have been fascinating at times.

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The class will be represented in the Rising Stars game, as 11 first-year players will participate in the revamped exhibition. Including 10 sophomores, and seven players from the G League, the game will feature the top up-and-coming players.

To make sense of it all, we looked at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but to illustrate the best players week to week.

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama posts absurd stat line for historic triple-double

Victor Wembanyama registered a rare triple-double and joined some elite company to lead the Spurs to a win over the Raptors.

Victor Wembanyama registered a rare triple-double on Monday and joined elite company in the history books to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a win over the Toronto Raptors.

Wembanyama produced 27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocks, five assists and two steals in a 122-99 victory to snap a seven-game losing streak. He went 10-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, in 29 minutes of work.

The top pick became the fifth player in history to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks and five assists in a game. He is the first player to record a triple-double with blocks since Clint Capela in January 2021 and just the fourth rookie to reach that mark.

“He did a little bit of everything,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Obviously, he is an all-around talented player. (He has) got a great feel for the game, and it shows in a variety of ways, whether he is passing, making decisions or blocking shots. It doesn’t matter.”

Wembanyama notched the triple-double midway through the fourth quarter after swatting Raptors rookie Gradey Dick in the paint. It is his second of the season after previously recording one on Jan. 10 with points, rebounds and assists.

The 7-footer had those watching paying close attention to his stat line after swatting his 10th shot of the game. He wasn’t necessarily close to registering the fifth quadruple-double ever, but it was something that crossed his mind.

“As a second thought, yes, but I was trying to win first,” Wembanyama said of accomplishing that feat. “I almost got a quintuple-double with (seven) turnovers.”

Wembanyama became the first rookie since Spurs legend and Hall of Famer David Robinson in February 1990 to record a triple-double with blocks. He also joined Ralph Sampson and Mark Eaton to reach that mark since blocks became an official stat in the 1973-74 season.

He was thrilled to join Robinson in the history books.

“It is great company to have my name next to him,” Wembanyama said. “I guess it counts even more since it is family, from the Spurs and San Antonio.”

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Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama among No. 1 picks to compete in Skills Challenge

Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama will be among three No. 1 picks to team up in the Skills Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama will be among three No. 1 picks to team in the Skills Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Wembanyama will be joined by All-Stars Paolo Banchero (Orlando, 2022) and Anthony Edwards (Minnesota, 2020) in the competition. They will compete against Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers and another team.

The Skills Challenge usually features three teams of three players, typically with teams consisting of rookies, players from the host team and others. The format of the competition last year included a timed on-court relay, passing and shooting obstacles.

Wembanyama and Banchero were also among 28 players selected to compete in the NBA Rising Stars game on Feb. 16. Wembanyama was the top pick in the draft by Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, while Banchero was selected second by Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings.

The rest of the competitors are expected to be announced soon.

The Skills Challenge will tip off All-Star Saturday night on Feb. 17, with the 3-Point Contest, NBA (Stephen Curry) vs. WNBA (Sabrina Ionescu) 3-Point Challenge and Slam Dunk Contest to follow at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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NBA Rising Stars 2024: Full rosters revealed in draft announcement

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 as part of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA will be drafted onto three teams. The seven players in the G League will comprise the fourth team.

The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches. The players from the G League were selected by the league office. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

Here are the rosters drafted by Gasol, Catchings and Rose.

Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller win NBA Rookies of the Month for January

Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month for January.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama and Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month for January.

Wembanyama became the first Spurs player to win the award since Beno Udrih in December 2004 after averaging 24 points, 9.6 rebounds and a league-leading 3.4 blocks on 50.6% shooting from the field in 14 games. He led all rookies in scoring, rebounding and blocks.

Miller captured the award for the first time after averaging 16 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 42.1% shooting from the field in 13 games. He led all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring and 3-pointers (33) and became the first Hornet to win since LaMelo Ball in March 2021.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren and Houston Rockets forward Cam Whitmore were also nominated for the award in the Western Conference. Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly and Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. were nominated in the East.

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Rookie Wire Power Rankings: Hornets’ Brandon Miller rises up past Chet Holmgren

Rookie Wire took a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2023-24 season.

Over half of the NBA season is in the books as teams and players around the league look ahead to the trade deadline and All-Star break in the next two weeks.

The trade chatter figures to ramp up considerably before the deadline on Feb. 8, with several teams expected to be active. The impending rumors and other speculation should once again create plenty of storylines to watch over the next several days.

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The league announced the All-Star starters for each conference last week and will unveil the reserve players on Thursday. Though there likely won’t be a rookie announced as an All-Star, the class will be well-represented during the NBA Rising Stars game on Feb. 16.

To make sense of it all, we looked at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but to illustrate the best players week to week.

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Player pool revealed for annual showcase at All-Star Weekend

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 at All-Star Weekend.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 as part of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA will be drafted onto three teams and the seven players in the G League will comprise the fourth team.

The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches. The players from the G League were selected by the league office. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

Assistant coaches from the NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs will join the honorary head coaches in coaching the Rising Stars teams. The NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs for both the Eastern and Western Conferences have yet to be determined.

TNT will televise the competition beginning at 9 p.m. EST.

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama achieves highest jersey sales ranking for a rookie in 8 years

Victor Wembanyama achieved the highest ranking for a rookie since Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015-16 season.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama was among the NBA players who had one of the top-selling jerseys over the first half of the season, the league announced.

Wembanyama checked in at fourth on the top 15 list released on Tuesday. He is the highest-ranked player on the list born outside of the United States and achieved the highest ranking for a first-year player since Boston Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015-16 season.

Led by Wembanyama, the Spurs ranked ninth in team merchandise sales. It is their first appearance on the list since the 2017-18 season, their last with Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

Wembanyama is averaging 20.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals on 46.5% shooting from the field in 41 games this season. He leads the rookie class in scoring and is one of three first-year players with multiple 30-point games (4).

With his unique skill set and ability on the court, the Frenchman has helped put the Spurs front and center in the NBA this season. He is the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year (minus-200), narrowly topping Chet Holmgren (plus-200).

Wembanyama arrived in the U.S. with much fanfare and has lived up to expectations. He and the Spurs have drawn plenty of attention this season and that has reflected in the latest merchandise sales.

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Gregg Popovich: Victor Wembanyama could return to playing in back-to-back games

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich confirmed that Victor Wembanyama could play in a back-to-back set starting Friday against the Trail Blazers.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich confirmed that rookie Victor Wembanyama could play in back-to-back games starting Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Wembanyama was placed on a minute restriction last month after sustaining a right ankle injury. He is prohibited by the team medical staff from playing in back-to-back games and was limited to about 24 minutes per game on the restriction.

The team increased his minute limitation to 30 minutes on Wednesday as it started a seven-game homestand. Popovich said that there is a possibility that Wembanyama can suit up in both of their games this weekend at the Frost Bank Center.

Wembanyama believes he is close to playing without a restriction.

I think we’re getting close. It is a good thing. For me, the recovery is always the most important, even though it is sometimes hard to sleep with the time zones and travel. We have to do as best as we can, and my body is reacting pretty well so far.

Popovich hinted last week that the minute restriction could be changed “very soon” as the top pick shows no lingering effects of the injury. He has missed six games this season, including five since suffering the initial injury on Dec. 17.

Despite the restriction, Wembanyama is putting up impressive numbers.

He recorded 24 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and one steal on Wednesday in a loss to Oklahoma City. He went 9-of-18 from the field in 27 minutes for his sixth straight 20-point game, the longest streak by a rookie this season.

Games Minutes Points Rebounds Blocks
Pre-Injury 24 30.5 19 11 3
Post-Injury 14 25 22.9 8.5 3.6

Wembanyama is averaging 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and 2.9 assists on 46.5% shooting from the field in 38 games this season. He leads the rookie class in scoring and is one of three first-year players with multiple 30-point games (4).

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Joel Embiid had a hilarious reaction to seeing Victor Wembanyama for the first time

Hours before Joel Embiid had a historic performance, he gave social media something else to talk about after seeing Victor Wembanyama.

Hours before Joel Embiid produced a historic performance, the reigning Most Valuable Player gave social media something else to talk about after getting his first look at Victor Wembanyama.

Embiid produced a career-high 70 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one blocked shot to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 133-123 win over the San Antonio Spurs. He became the ninth player in history to score 70 or more points in a game.

The 7-footer topped the 68 points scored by Wilt Chamberlain in the 1967-68 season to claim the franchise scoring record for a single game. He also became the only player to tally at least 70 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a game.

The contest was the first of two matchups this season for Embiid and the Sixers against Wembanyama and the Spurs. In other words: It was the first time Embiid had the opportunity to go up against another 7-footer, Wembanyama.

Like everyone else, Embiid was surprised to see just how tall he was.

Embiid walked past Wembanyama as the two teams took the court for pregame warmups. He gave the audience watching in person and at home a rather hilarious reaction as he walked by.

Going up against Embiid and the Sixers, Wembanyama recorded 33 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks to lead the Spurs. He has the most 30-point games among rookies (4) this season and is one of three first-year players to do it multiple times this season.

Embiid certainly stole the night across the NBA, though he took a moment after the game to praise Wembanyama. He believes the 20-year-old has the potential to be the future of the league.

“He is great,” Embiid said. “He has got everything: Size, skill. There is nothing else to say. (He is) probably the future. He is already pretty good but once he develops and his body also catches on, he is going to be a lot of problems for a lot of guys in this league. He is extremely talented.”

Note: Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire contributed to this report

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