Constantly moving the goal post...
Now Chet is ahead (in part) because he plays 23% more??![]()
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sport..._medium=social
Rookie of the year: Chet Holmgren, Thunder
Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft who missed all of last season with a foot injury, and San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in 2023, are neck-and-neck in the fiercest rookie of the year race in recent memory. While Scottie Barnes narrowly beat Evan Mobley two years ago in the closest race of the past 20 years, Holmgren and Wembanyama have already established themselves as all-star candidates and project as higher-ceiling players than anyone from the 2022 class. With nearly three months left to go, this is shaping up to be the most compelling and weightiest rookie debate since LeBron James held off Carmelo Anthony in 2003-04.
The 7-4 Wembanyama (19.8 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.1 bpg) boasts slightly gaudier individual numbers, but the 7-1 Holmgren (17.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.5 bpg) deserves the nod because he has played 23 percent more minutes and — most importantly — all of his games have had playoff stakes. Holmgren isn’t just along for the ride in Oklahoma City: The long-armed shot-blocker has anchored a sixth-ranked defense and stepped in as an ultraefficient secondary scoring option for a well-oiled attack.
“[Holmgren’s] rim protection distracts people from his switchability and mobility on defense,” Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault said this week. “He can go step for step with people. It makes him a very rangy defender because he can guard out on the water on the perimeter and is a great rim player as well. It gives us a lot of options.”
It’s no fun to penalize Wembanyama for his poor supporting cast, nor is it fair to reward Holmgren solely for his team’s success. If Holmgren and Wembanyama switched places, there’s a strong argument that Oklahoma City would be even better and San Antonio would be worse. Even so, reality should take precedence over hypotheticals as long as both players deliver similar box score numbers.
Voters should keep an open mind until April, especially if Wembanyama can shake free from his minutes limit and go on a tear down the stretch. Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II deserve honorable mention in this two-horse race.
Constantly moving the goal post...
Now Chet is ahead (in part) because he plays 23% more??![]()
Media desperately trying to prop up the next white American star player. All of a sudden winning and efficiency matter in ROTY discussions when one guy is a role player and the other is the top option![]()
Inside the nba shut that down yesterday they asked "put wemby on okc and who's the better player"
These are not similar box score numbers. One is elite and the other is just good.
"slightly gaudier"
Yeah I don't disagree. It's just interesting to observe the difference. But it's probably more a difference in era than a difference in player. If Tim was drafted in 2023, he wouldn't be playing 39 mpg either.
Wemby puts up about 15% more points, 40% more rebounds and 25% blocks on 23% less minutes and Chet should win because he’s got more minutes? Like what?
Exactly. Does anyone read what’s written before it’s posted?
Feels like those KG vs Duncan arguments by the mainstreamers that wanted sooo bad for KG to be better than Duncan, but you shut that down real quick by simply asking: What happens if you put KG on that 2002-2003 Spurs team? I'll tell you what happens: You win about 10-15 games less and you get knocked out of the first round.
Plays more minutes, has worse stats, deserves it.
What a Mensa candidate.
Coastal elites just trying to prop up Chet by way of skin color. Classic east coast liberal.
With that said, OKC could actually make some serious noise this year in the postseason. The team Chet has is not even close. He's got a 30ppg scorer as a teammate and a coach way beyond Pop, who added Wemby and has the Spurs at a rotten 7-34. I think even if you simply switched Pop with Mark Daigneault, we could probably at minimum have a much better record, and who knows maybe even snag a low seeded playoff spot.
Chet should win because he got drafted to the better team
The media are so ing stupid
Yeah I assumed wemby would already have a lower leg injury at this point. Kudos to wembys dudes and spurs docs and coaches for keeping him on the court and building him up
Should wemby get RoY? Of course
Should Duncan have 10+ DPOYs? Of course.
Hopefully wemby is more like timmy between the ears and less like LeBron or hes going to leave a trail of broken hearted fans in his GOATish career
JeffGSpursKENS5 JeffGSpursZone
Pop says Wembanyama min restriction might be lifted after game vs 76er #porvida #nba
Wemby on the Thunder and they'd make a deep playoff run possibly to the Finals. Chet on the Spurs and they're even worse. This is so obvious it's astounding yet this is a national media that won't talk about the fact that Donald Trump is constantly walking around in smelly ty diapers since he blew out his asshole with constant drug use years ago.
It's definitely wemby's to lose
BRO I thought so too until I saw some video of him stretching. He's a ing gumby flexible mother er. Even when he originally sprained his ankle, he got up like nothing. The "concern" is just an excuse to rest him and quiet tank, I'm guessing.
This is what I was thinking too. It makes sense when you think about it. Explains why there was never a real timetable to the injury. He's never really showed any lingering side effects from the "injury." The minutes restriction excuse never made much sense to begin with.
Yeah full marks to wembys family and French crew for prepping him with the stretching etc for sure. But I think the spurs staff rightly prioritize his health, very conservatively, over meaningless/harmless wins
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