Young star Victor Wembamyama still has a lot to prove in the NBA, but he’s made a believer of even his staunchest critics so far this season. According to league veteran Nicolas Batum, Wemby is the clear rookie of the year and is on track for a seriously dominant career.
“I think the Rookie of the Year race is pretty much set,” said Batum via Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “That’s what people say, and I think it is. I saw Pop [Spurs coach Gregg Popovich] say something one time, and I agree with him. He said, ‘Maybe this will be the worst season of Wemby.’ Can you imagine? This might be the worst season of his career. That’s scary.”
As a fellow Frenchman and a likely future teammate for the Olympics, Batum and Victor already know each other well and Nic has gotten to know the yougster’s game on a deep level.
While there is still so much to see from Victor before he meets expectations, he has shown enough this season to mark his place as one of the best in the game.
In 63 games so far, Wembamyama is averaging 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game on 46% shooting. With those numbers and a place as one of the league's best defenders, Wemby is already showing how much better he is than his peers… and it's only his first season.
Sadly, the Spurs have been in a horrible state all season long and Victor is really the only beacon of hope for the franchise right now. If they can just surround the kid with some quality role players, it could make all the difference for them in the long run.
Victor Wembanyama Is Ready To Win Now
At 15-56, dead last in the West, the Spurs were out of playoff contention a while ago. In fact, one could say that the season was doomed from the beginning due to a lack of talent and experience on the roster.
For now, while he’s still on his rookie deal, there’s not much that Victor can do but endure the losing and hope for a breakthrough.
Of course, it hasn't stopped Wemby from putting pressure on the front office to make some moves.
Already, there have been rumblings about Wembanyama potentially forcing his way out of the Spurs don't improve and that notion is more than unfeasible in today’s NBA.
From Ben Simmons to Anthony Davis, we’ve seen plenty of younger players force their way out before and Wemby could set a new standard by pulling the move on his rookie contract.
At the very least, we know the Spurs are feeling eager to start winning games. They’ve been in the market for a while now and the latest rumors have them sniffing around a potential deal for Trae Young.
Like it or not, the Spurs will have to give up some assets to build up their team around Wembamyama but it will be worth it from what we’ve seen from him so far.
As one of the few players with the potential for generational greatness, the Spurs cannot afford to wait and they must make a move soon before they waste too much time.
More must-reads: