Heading into the season, the San Antonio Spurs will be a center of attention in the NBA, as they picked Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Wembanyama is one of the most hyped-up prospects in the history of basketball, and the Spurs are hoping he can be their franchise centerpiece for years to come.
But in the immediate future, all the Spurs want Wembnyama to do is get used to playing at the NBA level. He’s one of the top favorites to take home the Rookie of the Year award, but he’ll have plenty of players fighting against him for it.
Chief among them may be Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, who was drafted last offseason but missed the entire season. Wembanyama recently showed some love to Holmgren while speaking to the media. (H/t Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire)
“He’s a really good player. I played against him once a couple of years back. He’s part of the great players of this generation,” Wembanyama said.
Standing at 7-foot-3 (or maybe even 7-foot-5), Wembanmya is a physical freak of nature, but Holmgren is pretty big himself. Both centers possess some guard skills and are elite on the defensive side of the ball.
The biggest edge up Holmgren could have on Wembanyama is team success, though, as the Thunder are going to be competing for a playoff spot while the Spurs will likely miss out on the Play-In.
It should be a very entertaining race for Rookie of the Year.
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