After his very good first season with Spurs, Wembanyama voted “rookie of the year”

Victor Wembanyama will have met the expectations placed on him for his first basketball season in the United States. Unsurprisingly, he was named “rookie of the year,” the NBA announced Monday.

The 20-year-old Frenchman, drafted in No. 1 by the San Antonio Spurs in June 2023, thus wins a first trophy, which calls for others, as confirmed by a first NBA season that lived up to the immense expectations that he arouses.

“Wemby” folds the match against Holmgren

If the collective results were not there, with 14th place (out of 15 in the West) for Spurs, the first NBA season of the French giant (2.24 m) was successful on an individual level. After some doubts at the start of the year, “Wemby” had extinguished the suspense for the outcome of this award reserved for beginners, for which he beat Oklahoma City pivot Chet Holmgren. This 22-year-old American with characteristics similar to the Frenchman (very tall, 2.16 m, mobile and dexterous), is announced as Wembanyama’s great rival in the years to come, after the two players have already faced each other in competitions. international youth.

To succeed Orlando Magic player Paolo Banchero, a panel of one hundred media personalities following the NBA voted for “Wemby”, who becomes the first Frenchman to receive the award, the third European after the Spaniard Pau Gasol (2002) and Slovenian Luka Doncic (2019).

Although not very victorious with the Spurs (22 wins, 60 losses), Wembanyama lit up the league with his talent, immediately becoming one of the fans’ favorites: he was the third player to have generated the most video “views” on social networks (1.3 billion) according to the NBA, behind superstars LeBron James (1.9) and Stephen Curry (1.7).

Particularly good stats

This “rookie of the year” trophy validates the season of Wembanyama, placed at the heart of the Spurs reconstruction project, with rare statistics for a beginner. In 71 of his franchise’s 82 games, the Frenchman averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.6 blocks, putting him first in the entire NBA in the latter statistical area.

Visible and spectacular elements of his defensive work, Wembanyama’s counterattacks could also offer him a new trophy this Tuesday, he who is one of the three finalists for the “defender of the year” award, along with his compatriot Rudy Gobert and Miami pivot Bam Adebayo. The outcome, however, is much more uncertain this time, facing two experienced All-Star players.

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