Victor Wembanyama got here into the NBA with huge expectations, and he responded with one of the very best rookie campaigns the league has ever seen.
Wembanyama was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year on Monday, garnering all 99 first-place votes. Oklahoma City Thunder middle Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 choose within the 2022 NBA Draft, got here in second with 98 second-place votes. Last season’s No. 2 choose, Charlotte’s Brandon Miller, got here in third.
Wembanyama turns into the sixth unanimous Rookie of the Year within the final 40 years becoming a member of Ralph Sampson (1984), David Robinson (1990), Blake Griffin (2011), Damian Lillard (2013) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2016). He additionally joins the Spurs’ different two No. 1 picks — Robinson and Tim Duncan (1998) — as winners of the award.
“My goals were always to help my team as best as I could and get better as the year went on,” Wembanyama stated from San Antonio on TNT after the award was introduced on the community’s NBA playoff pregame present. “I knew in order to do this I had to be individually good on the court and dominant. So, it was a huge thing for me and a big thing to get. It’s always been really important and I’m glad it’s finally official.”
In 71 video games this season, Wembanyama averaged 21.4 factors, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per recreation. The final participant to common 20 factors, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and three blocks in a single season was Shaquille O’Neal, who did it in his MVP season in 1999-2000.
Wembanyama turned solely the second rookie in NBA historical past to steer the league in blocks (since blocks had been formally recorded as a stat in 1973-74) becoming a member of Manute Bol, who achieved the feat in 1985-86. Wembanyama is the primary rookie to report 250 blocks in a season since Alonzo Mourning and O’Neal did it in 1992-93. The 4.5 blocks per recreation Wembanyama averaged after the All-Star break had been probably the most by any participant after the break since Dikembe Mutombo in 1994.
His 4.81 steals and blocks per recreation common are probably the most “stocks” by any participant in a single season since Ben Wallace did it in 2001-02, the primary 12 months he received Defensive Player of the Year.
Wembanyama is one of three finalists for Defensive Player of the Year together with Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert and Miami’s Bam Adebayo. Because of the positionless nature of the All-Defensive group, Wembanyama might find yourself being the primary rookie ever to make first group All-Defense later this week.
Earlier this season, Wembanyama joked with French reporters that Gobert ought to win Defensive Player of the Year this 12 months however that afterwards, it will now not be his flip.
On Monday, he stated he desires to win awards like that — together with finally MVP — as a result of it is normally an excellent barometer of group success.
“The most important to me is always winning,” Wembanyama instructed ESPN. “You know, winning the chip clearly is what I wanna do. But, those individual awards tell a lot about the path a player takes throughout his career to get to those heights. They are important to me and I’m dedicated to winning some.”
As a lot as he impressed on the defensive finish, Wembanyama’s offense got here alongside sooner than many anticipated. With 128 3-pointers, he turned the primary participant in NBA historical past with 250 blocks and 100 3-pointers in the identical season.
He averaged 0.72 factors per minute this season, probably the most in a season by any rookie since Michael Jordan (min. 1,000 minutes).
Wembanyama recorded two triple-doubles as properly — one with assists and one with blocks. On Jan. 10, he had 16 factors, 12 rebounds and 10 assists towards the Detroit Pistons. Just over a month in a while Feb. 12, he had 27 factors, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks towards the Toronto Raptors.
Just 11 days after that, Wembanyama posted a 5×5 towards the Los Angeles Lakers when he completed with 27 factors, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 blocks and 5 steals — changing into the youngest participant to realize a 5×5 in NBA historical past.
In an time beyond regulation efficiency towards the New York Knicks on March 29, Wembanyama had 40 factors and 20 rebounds in his highest scoring recreation of the season.
Since blocks turned an official stat, the one different gamers to have a 40-point, 20-rebound recreation, a 5×5 recreation and a 10-block recreation of their profession are Hakeem Olajuwon and Anthony Davis.
Despite all of Wembanyama’s accomplishments, San Antonio nonetheless completed with the identical report as they did a season in the past — 22-60 — and it took seven wins of their closing 11 video games to get there.
The Spurs stay a younger group, and whereas nobody thought their report would not enhance, Wembanyama does see the long-term imaginative and prescient.
“At any point, I never thought I wasn’t in the best situation. I wasn’t in the best place,” Wembanyama stated on the ultimate day of the season. “Of course, I wish we were into the playoffs and I wish I didn’t lose 60 games, of course.
“But as a lot because it’s laborious right now, I do know it is for the long-term. I belief my teammates 100% and I belief the venture. So, it is actually my confidence … was by no means shaken at any level.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.