Victor Wembanyama’s rookie campaign is one for the history books. He ended this season averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocks per game, while appearing in 71 regular season games as a rookie, according to StatMuse. Despite his numbers, the Spurs failed to make the postseason, forcing the Frenchman to watch the playoffs from the sidelines.
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While the NBA rages on, Wembanyama sat down with the ‘Ringer’ to do a deep dive into his historic rookie year. Host Kevin O’Connor began the interview by asking the 19-year-old if he was surprised by his sudden success in the NBA, mentioning that he is not only the front-runner for the Rookie Of The Year award but also a candidate for the Defensive Player Of The Year. Replying to O’Connor, Victor let his host know that,
“I wouldn’t say surprised because to me it’s impossible to be surprised by you know, your own performance, good or bad ’cause it’s you know, ultimately, everything is a result of your own work and your own you know mentality so I always want more so I’m not surprised.”
While some might confuse the Spurs star’s sage-like words for pretense or false maturity, it’s important to remember that this isn’t his first year as a ‘pro’, having already played 3 years of professional basketball in Europe. Applying a similar mindset to the NBA, Victor told the Ringer that this season has been crucial to his understanding of how to win in the NBA,
” Now I have more of a clear idea of when things are going to happen rather than how… I have more information now on what it requires to win games big games…”
After discussing Wembanyama’s mindset, the interview quickly shifted to his defense. While O’Connor called the player the best ” overall defender” in the league, he wasn’t sure if the Frenchman had his vote for this year’s Defensive Player Of The Year. Hearing that O’Connor held a ballot/vote seemed to pique the player’s interest, with him even inviting the veteran journalist to a discussion on the subject during the interview.
Victor Wembanyama is in contention for multiple awards
Victor Wembanyama is not only this year’s Rookie Of The Year, he is one of the best rookies of all time. He has managed to put himself in elite company, as he became only the fourth rookie to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks, joining the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, and David Robinson on the list [per Statmuse].
While Wembanyama is likely the runaway winner for the Rookie Of The Year award, the 7’4″ center faces stern competition from his fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert for the Defensive Player Of The Year award. At the moment, Gobert does seem to have the award in the bag as he anchored the Minnesota Timberwolves’ No. 4 overall defense (108.4 rating per NBA.com). He also held opponents to a lower field-goal percentage at the rim than the Spurs star was able to (51.8 percent compared to 52.9 percent) during this past season.
That said, he does have a shot at the award, as the Spurs center leads the league in blocked shots, collecting 245 blocks in his first 71 games in the league. Not only that, Wembanyama has shown that he can defend all five positions on the floor, often even coming out to the three-point line to block shots, a trait that is mostly lacking in Gobert’s game. In the end, even if Wemby is unable to bag the DPOY award this year, it is only a matter of time before he wins one.
