“Leading Candidate for Rookie of the Year”: Anthony Davis Showers Victor Wembanyama With Praise After Gritty 122–119 Win Over Spurs

Victor Wembanyama is a genuine threat, and the Los Angeles Lakers got their first taste of it tonight. With LeBron James out, it was a battle of the bigs between Anthony Davis and Wemby. Sure enough, the #1 pick of this year’s draft left AD impressed. After the game, Davis made sure to let it be known via his post-game comments.

As published by Spectrum SportsNet, when a reporter asked Davis about sizing up Wemby over the course of the game. Davis smirked and said,

“Nah, obviously he’s extremely talented, three-level threat as we’ve seen tonight.” 

However, after the smirk, AD got serious about the response and pointed out how, despite the Spurs’ struggles, their games are close, and that is because of Wemby.

“The team is struggling, but, um, he’s playing extremely well, and he’s able to, um, keep them in games. They’re playing really good basketball… He[Wemby] showed why he’s the number one pick and leading candidate for Rookie of the Year tonight.”

AD on what it was like playing against Wembanyama: “He showed why he’s the No. 1 pick and a candidate for Rookie of the Year tonight.” pic.twitter.com/pcM2rIGWt7

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 14, 2023

Tonight was supposed to be a battle between the most hyped #1 picks – LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama. Unfortunately, Bron was ruled out for the game. However, we did get to see a brilliant battle between AD and Wemby. While AD dominated the 1st half, the 2nd half belonged to the 19-year-old. In the end, it was AD and the Lakers who were able to secure a gritty 122-119 win.

AD finished the night with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals. On the other hand, Wemby had 30 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 3 steals.

Anthony Davis:
37 PTS
10 REB
4 STL
56.5 FG%
66.7 3P%

Victor Wembanyama:
30 PTS
13 REB
6 BLK
52.4 FG%
80.0 3P% pic.twitter.com/0bahKbMXoJ

— LegendOfWinning (@LegendOfWinning) December 14, 2023

This was an incredible matchup, and after seeing the 4th quarter surge by the rookie, we know why Davis made his comments.

Victor Wembanyama Took Back the Top ROTY Spot From Chet Holmgren

When the Rookie of the Year ladder came out this year, Victor Wembanyama was placed at the top. However, Chet Holmgren was following him closely. For two weeks, Wemby stayed on top of the charts. However, by the third iteration of the rankings, Chet had taken over. It could be because of the Spurs’ struggle, or the Thunder’s brilliance, or both.

Chet continued to stay on top of the rankings for three weeks. However, in the latest iteration, Wemby is back on top. Despite the Spurs struggling and being on an 18-game skid, Wemby has been performing brilliantly. Including tonight’s game, he now has 6 double-doubles on the trot.

However, his 20-20 game, which made him the youngest to record a 20-20 game, would have been a big factor in him reclaiming the top spot. With a long time to go in the season, it’ll be a fun battle to watch between these two 7-footers.