Wemby Watch: NBA Rookie of the Year Case Continues to Build
While Victor Wembanyama hasn't yet run away with the NBA Rookie of the Year award this season as many expected six months ago, he has been incredibly productive. He was pretty inefficient in the first few months of the 2023-24 campaign, but has gotten much better in recent weeks.
He entered the league as a rookie with tremendous upside, but has already developed more rapidly than expected and clearly has franchise-altering abilities.
What has the generational talent done since our last Wemby Watch update, and what are his statistics to this point?
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2023-24 Stats: 20.4 PPG | 10.1 RPG | 3.2 BPG | 1.1 SPG | 2.9 APG | 46.5% FG | 29.4% 3PT
Spurs Record: 8-36
In his past six games, Wembanyama has scored at least 20 points in every single contest. Over the past week of action specifically, he's averaged 27 points per game while shooting 50% from the floor and 31% from beyond the arc. He has also gotten a bump in his minutes restriction, now able to play up to 30 minutes per game which is a big deal.
Being the top option on an NBA team isn't easy. Opposing teams can gameplan and scheme against top players, making it extremely difficult to be effective, especially at Wembanyama's age. While this was a struggle for the San Antonio rookie early on, he's already starting to emerge as an alpha who can't be stopped on either end. Although the Spurs aren't winning much, this situation is valuable experience for the 7-footer.
In the upcoming week, Wembanyama and the Spurs will take on the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic.
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