As the 2023-24 regular season winds down, voters will soon need to turn in their ballots for the award races. One of the most discussed awards this year is Rookie of the Year. LA Clippers forward Paul George offered his opinion on the debate.
It’s a two-player battle between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. The two centers headline the new renaissance of seven-footer players who can handle the ball and score like a guard. Both are also monster mobile rim protectors.
Over the last few months, Wembanyama has created distance in the race with a dominating stretch with the San Antonio Spurs. He’s averaged 20.6 points on 46.5% shooting, 10.3 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and 3.4 assists.
Meanwhile, Holmgren has been part of the young trio with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are fighting for first place. He’s averaged 16.8 points on 53.6% shooting, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.7 assists.
The Chet vs. Wemby discussions have been one of the more prominent storylines of the season, and both will likely be linked with each other for the rest of their careers. They’ve had similar upbringings as generational bigs who were high draft picks in their respective classes.
In a recent episode of the “Podcast P” podcast, George offered his opinion on the heated Wembanyama-Holmgren debate, stating he thinks the former has edged the latter for the prestigious award.
“I’m gonna give it to Wemby,” George said. “Chet’s on a winning team. He’s got a great group of young guys around him, so not much pressure is like solely on him.
“The expectation for Wemby is extremely high, he’s playing on a young team as well but they’re not as successful and I don’t think quite yet the talent is as high as Oklahoma’s, so he’s relied upon to do a lot on a nightly basis and he’s doing it.
“Yeah, his team isn’t winning as much as Chet’s team but that’s because Chet’s team is better, and I think he’s handling and with the expectation he’s doing a great job.”
This is a reasonable take to have this late in the season. Wembanyama has put up historic numbers recently, but he’s given the platform to do so considering how little talent is in San Antonio.
Meanwhile, Holmgren plays within the flow of the Thunder, which has led to them blossoming into young title contenders this season. He doesn’t have as much room for error.
Regardless of who wins the award, it’s fair to say both teams are excited to have their respective young center for the foreseeable future as they headline the next crop of players.
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