Breathtaking, generational, and paradigm-shifting are some of the adjectives I would use to describe the San Antonio Spurs sophomore sensation, the 7-foot-4 center. Victor Wembanyama. Some called him the best prospect in NBA history the year before he arrived in the NBA. He hasn't disappointed.
The Spurs might not have had the team success they had hoped for, finishing with a 22-60 record that finished 14th in the Western Conference. Despite the Spurs' lackluster record. However, their highly anticipated No.1 pick from the 2023 NBA Draft exceeded our initial high expectations for him coming into his inaugural season and then some. Wembanyama averaged an eye-popping stat line of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and league-leading 3.6 blocks per game.
He received all 99 first-place votes helped him become the sixth unanimous Rookie of the Year in NBA History. He joins NBA legends and stars such as Ralph Sampson (1984), David Robinson (1990), Blake Griffin (2011), Damian Lillard (2013), and Karl Anthony-Towns (2016). He also was the second rookie (Manute Bol) to lead the league in blocks (3.6) since blocks became an official stat in 1973-74, becoming the third Spur to claim Rookie of The Year, joining Robinson and Tim Duncan in Spurs lore.
Here are three compelling reasons why Wembanyama has the potential to redefine greatness in the NBA.
3) Wembanyama is a defensive force not from this galaxy.
What Wembanyama displayed on both ends throughout his debut season as the season progressed was nothing short of astronomical. It was like watching a kid being put somewhere to fend for himself in a new environment, finding a way to succeed and survive against the obstacles that would come his way.
His agility and defensive instincts with his 8-foot wingspan shrink the paint for opponents. It makes them think twice about attacking the rim with the mythical figure from France. You’ll think you’ll have an open shot at the rim or from three, only to get it rejected right back, leaving opponents dazed.
Wembanyama’s ability to guard the paint as the defensive anchor and his foot speed to guard pick-and-rolls on the perimeter (crucial for today's NBA bigs). Being a stout help defender so early in his career should have NBA GMs and teams outside the Spurs frightened of what’s to come.
He finished runner-up for Defensive Player of The Year as a rookie! He was only behind his fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who claimed his fourth DPOY.
Whether it was a triple-double game with blocks against Toronto, the nine blocks against the now three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, or the multiple 5x5 games he's had. Wembanyama’s ability to use his elastic-type length but also having the IQ, instincts, and agility on how to use it is what separates him from any big we’ve seen his size.
Wembanyama, as a rookie, was fifth in defensive win shares, second in defensive box +/- and second in defensive rating with a 105.8 behind Gobert. His 3.6 blocks per game haven’t been seen since Hassan Whiteside in 2015-16 and are the third most by a rookie in NBA history per StatMuse.
Behind only giants such as Manute Bol (5.0 BPG,1986) and another fellow Spurs legend David Robinson (3.9,1990). Bol and Robinson arrived in the NBA at 23-24, respectively, while Wembanyama was a 19-year-old teenager, which makes it that more impressive.
There have been many great centers throughout NBA history: Kareem, Hakeem, Shaq, and so forth, but Wembanyama is the only one to make the all-defensive first team as a rookie. He’s on pace to lead the league in blocks for the second straight season (3.9) in his first two NBA seasons, making him the first player in the history of the NBA to do so if he achieves that.
Not even the all-time shot-blocking leader, Hakeem Olajuwon, did that. After just his rookie season, he already had more career blocks than 86.6% of players in NBA history! Unprecedented.
Victor Wembanyama has more career blocks than 86.6% of all players in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/nGhBL6ssO5
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) April 3, 2024
Once he understands the concepts of the NBA game more defensively… Watch out! He can become the best defender the game has ever seen.