The NBA season is over for Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs but he was just rewarded with the 2023–24 Rookie of the Year award. After many teams tanked to try and land the number one pick last season, the Spurs were fortunate enough to be the team to select him, and he didn't disappoint. Despite massive expectations, he didn't disappoint and was one of the most talked-about players in the NBA.
We figured a historic rookie season deserved some historic Rookie of the Year surprises. Congrats, @Wemby. #ROTY #PorVida #NBA pic.twitter.com/WqiuRCTdKZ
— Fanatics (@Fanatics) May 6, 2024
Not just that but few now doubt his ceiling as one of the best players in the league in the near future. With so many eyes on Wembanyama this season, there are few fans that haven't seen him play but there are quite a few undervalued aspects to his rookie season that shouldn't be overlooked going forward. Let's take a look!
10) Wembanyama was better than advertised
Heading into the season, there was significant pressure for Wembanyama to live up to expectations and yet he somehow managed to exceed them. In just his third NBA game, he dropped 38 points and looked like the best player on the floor playing against Kevin Durant. Since then, he has become one of just 12 players to record a 5x5—at least 5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks in a a game.
He has also recorded three triple doubles, including having 10 assists and 10 blocks in separate games. In addition to eye-popping stat lines, there are the eye-popping plays that seemingly catch fire on social media every time he steps on the court. Having a player actually live up to and even exceed the hype is great for all involved.
For the Spurs, Wembanyama being even better than expected could result in them making a series of win-now moves to try and build around their rising superstar as soon as possible. For Wembanyama, underperforming the sky-high expectations would have drawn backlash, with many calling him overrated or overhyped. He may also have lost Rookie of the Year to Chet Holmgren instead of winning the award as a result of him being even better than he needed to be.