(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
For the last several months, many have been expecting Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 French phenom, to not only win this season’s Rookie of the Year award but to also become a transformational player and possibly the best player in the NBA within about five years.
It was also expected that the race for this season’s Rookie of the Year award wouldn’t even be close.
However, Chet Holmgren, a first-year center for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is putting up impressive numbers for a team that is now 11-6.
As a result, he has reportedly surpassed Wembanyama in terms of the odds of winning the Rookie of the Year award, per Bleacher Report.
Who’s your ROTY? @br_betting
Wemby (+130) was favored over Chet (+270) to begin the season…
(via @FDSportsbook) pic.twitter.com/BAE75AQHrn
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 29, 2023
Wembanyama hasn’t done too badly to start the season, as he’s averaging 19.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocked shots in 30.1 minutes a game.
However, he has struggled with his shooting at times — he has made just 43.0 percent of his shots from the field and 27.5 percent from 3-point range.
Holmgren, on the other hand, is at 53.8 percent overall and 43.1 percent from downtown while putting up 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks a contest.
Another big difference is what each player has to work with — while Wembanyama is stuck on a very poor team, Holmgren is surrounded by some quality players.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could be the most underrated star in the league and is averaging 30.5 points a game, while second-year wing Jalen Williams may be a rising star in his own right.
Holmgren may not be as good as Wembanyama will be in a few years, but right now, he appears to be the superior player.
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