Ranking Victor Wembanyama’s top 5 games of rookie campaign: Triple-doubles, 5×5, clashes with Chet Holmgren

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Victor Wembanyama has all but locked up the Rookie of the Year award, at least that’s what I’d be writing down if I had an official ballot. He entered the league as the most hyped prospect since LeBron James, and has somehow surpassed the hype and expectations to this point. He’s leading the league in blocks, is 14th in rebounds and averages the fewest minutes for a 20+ point scorer, which might not sound all that impressive, but it shows how efficient of a scorer he is while averaging less than 30 minutes a night. 

While he may not win Defensive Player of the Year, he’s made an incredibly strong case to at least be a finalist, and in the very near future, he’ll likely have an entire trophy case full of them. But for right now, as Wembanyama’s rookie season is winding down with just two and a half weeks left of the regular season, it seems like the perfect time to look at his Top 5 best performances of his rookie campaign.

5. Wembanyama’s NBA debut

Statline: 17 points, 5 rebounds 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 66.7% FG, 60% 3P

There are plenty of other performances you could put up here because Wemby’s put up historic numbers almost nightly. But it only feels right to round out this ranking with his NBA debut. It wasn’t his most dominant performance, but it was certainly a peek inside what was to come for the rookie. He was incredibly efficient, and we saw on opening night how his presence in the paint wards off opponents from testing him at the rim. He only recorded one block in that game against the Mavericks, but it was the first example of his NBA career to show why even when you try to space the floor to lure him away from the basket, his length negates that gameplan.

Even with the modest statline, Wembanyama had the Spurs tied at 115 apiece with 3:55 left in that game, but the combination of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving proved too much for the Spurs. That first game put the league on notice that Wembanyama was not only worth the hype but was going to be a problem for years to come.

4. 5×5 night vs. Lakers

Statline: 27 points,…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/ranking-victor-wembanyamas-top-5-games-of-rookie-campaign-triple-doubles-5×5-clashes-with-chet-holmgren/

Author : Jasmyn Wimbish

Publish date : 2024-03-28 13:39:32

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