Rudy Gobert has known Victor Wembanyama since he was 13 years old, so he is not really shocked by the immediate impact the San Antonio Spurs rookie made in his debut campaign.
Nonetheless, the Stifle Tower couldn’t but be in awe of his fellow Frenchman, as Victor Wembanyama is the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award and a viable candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award, and Rudy Gobert believes that he is just getting started.
“He’s way ahead of where I thought he’d be in year one. And he got better every month,” Gobert said about Wembanyama on The Old and the Three podcast by JJ Redick.
“I think the Spurs did an amazing job of protecting him, keeping him on a limitation early on, gradually raising his minutes but the level of comfort he has now, the level of understanding of the game he shows now, I thought that was going to be there in year two or three. I’ve been so proud and so impressed with the things he’s been doing and it’s exciting,” he added.
The future is looking bright for Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs have the worst record in the Western Conference at 21-60, but you cannot blame Victor Wembanyama for that because he has more than done his part.
Victor Wembanyama is averaging 21.3 points 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and a league-leading 3.6 blocks per contest while shooting 46.5 percent from the field in 29.6 minutes per night.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich once said that Victor Wembanyama is not a “happy camper” because of their putrid record, which indicates how much he cares for the organization and his competitive spirit.
Because they’re one of the worst teams in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs will likely have a top lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, which will help to build the team around Victor Wembanyama.
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