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“If Victor Wembanyama Can Get the Spurs Into a Playoff Position…”: Lou Williams Compares LeBron James’ Sophomore Season to Wemby’s

Nickeem Khan
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Victor Wembanyama (L) and LeBron James (R)

Victor Wembanyama has consistently exceeded expectations in his NBA career so far. Historically, many young players go through a sophomore slump. That hasn’t been the case for the Spurs player. Former Clippers star Lou Williams believes there’s only one player that has had a comparable sophomore season. That is none other than the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James.

Williams took to FanDuel TV’s Run It Back to discuss the stellar sophomore season Wembanyama is currently having. Surprisingly, the Spurs are in the mix for a spot in the Play-In Tournament due to Wemby’s jump in productivity. Wembanyama’s personal production coupled with his impact on team success puts him in the conversation with LeBron, according to Williams. He said,

“I think if we’re doing a head-to-head comparison I still feel LeBron gets him. Just simply based on the expectation level. We know what Wemby is going to be and when he’s going to represent in the future. But when LeBron James came into the league he was the undisputed face of the league. There was no question.”

Williams believes that the level of expectation was completely different for these two guys. In Williams’ opinion, LeBron had the best rookie and sophomore seasons ever. Many expected LeBron to be the next face of the league.

Although there is enormous hype surrounding Wembayama, there isn’t a mass desire for him to be the best player in the NBA immediately. However, he feels that if Wemby “can get the Spurs into a playoff position” by the end of this year, everyone will be having a “different conversation.”

LeBron vs. Wemby in sophomore seasons

Aside from the team’s success, LeBron didn’t waste time asserting his dominance over the NBA. In his sophomore season, James averaged 27.2 points per game, which was the third most in the league behind Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant. James also contributed 7.2 assists and 7.4 rebounds along with 2.2 steals per game.

He made his presence felt in all aspects of the court. Similar to Wembanyama. So far in the 2024-25 season, Wembanyama is averaging 25.1 points, and 10.7 rebounds while leading the league with 3.9 blocks per game. His defensive impact in only his second season is enough to make him the frontrunner for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Before James got to the team, they finished with a 17-65 record in the 2002-03 season. The addition of LeBron bolstered the team’s success to 35-47 and the ninth seed in the East. In his sophomore season, the Cavs were above .500 with a 42-40 record for the first time since 1998 but failed to reach the playoffs.

San Antonio is 19-19 and currently sits at the ninth seed, which, if things stand, will secure them a Play-In spot. The opportunity to play on the biggest stage will do wonders for Wemby’s game, further solidifying his status as one of the best players in the NBA.

Post Edited By:Karthik Raman

About the author

Nickeem Khan

Nickeem Khan

Nickeem Khan is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush from Toronto, Canada. He graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Media. Nickeem has over five years of experience in the sports media industry with hands-on experience as a journalist among other roles, including media accreditation for the CEBL, NBA G-League's Raptors 905, and CBC's coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

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