The standout rookies of this season, Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, are about to face for the third time as the San Antonio Spurs face the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. Both the rookies have been in a neck-to-neck competition, vying for the coveted KIA Rookie of the Year trophy at the end of the season. However, how have they fared against each other in the past two times of facing each other?
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The matchups between Wemby and Chet haven’t been disappointing so far. According to Stat Muse, Wemby has averaged 16.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the past two games against OKC. On the other hand, Chet Holmgren has averaged a slightly lesser 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the past two games against the Spurs.
Chet vs. Wemby Round 3 goes down TONIGHT
The ROY candidates are tied with the fourth-best defensive rating in the NBA this season
See the full breakdown in today’s Yahoo Sports AM ☀️
▶️ https://t.co/8BzR0UZdCo pic.twitter.com/nFcIrU49Uj— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) February 29, 2024
Wemby has an edge over Holmgren in their matchups, recording a high 24 points against the Thunder, compared to Holmgren’s high against the Spurs of 17 points. Furthermore, Wemby has also edged Holmgren in terms of blocks, averaging 6 blocks against OKC compared to Holmgren’s 4 blocks against the Spurs.
Wembanyama was particularly impressive in their last meeting after rocking a late two-handed jam on the rim against Chet Holmgren. However, as it stands, OKC has a clear edge against the Spurs, holding a 2-0 record over Wemby and co. in the league so far. It would be interesting to see how the two rookies fare tonight in this much-anticipated matchup in the regular season.
Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama are going neck to neck for the ROTY title
Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama have been considered two of the best contenders for this season’s KIA Rookie of the Year title. Rookies like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Brandon Miller aren’t far behind either. Wemby has over 31 games of 20+ points and has scored 31 double-doubles while leading the league in blocked shots. Furthermore, the rookie is also averaging 20.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game, which makes his case quite strong for the title.
On the other hand, Chet Holmgren challenges Wemby’s numbers with his shooting and plus/minus being far better than the Spurs’ young big man. The Thunder has a 30-victory advantage over Spurs and has recorded wins in their last two matchups. With his averages of 17.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game, Holmgren isn’t far behind in contending the ROTY title neck-to-neck against Wemby.
