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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The San Antonio Spurs have statistically been the worst team in the Western Conference. With less than thirty games remaining in the regular season, the Spurs are currently rooted to the bottom of Western Conference standings. But despite their abysmal record, there’s a sense of anticipation and optimism surrounding the Spurs organization. The reason behind that is rookie sensation, Victor Wembanyama.

Wemby has become the Spurs’ faithful with his superb performances and otherworldly potential. Very few rookies possess the confidence and command that the French baller shows on a daily basis. He truly is a one-of-a-kind player, and yesterday he delivered a performance for the history books.

The Spurs completely annihilated the Toronto Raptors, winning by a margin of 23. They played suffocating defense, holding the Raptors to just 99 points. Wembanyama played a pivotal role in stifling Toronto’s offense with a colossal defensive performance, which included 10 blocks. Apart from that, Victor also recorded 27 points and 14 rebounds. This stellar performance will be etched in NBA history forever, as Wemby became just the fifth rookie, and the first since David Robinson in the 1989-90 season, to record 10 blocks in a game. In a post-match interview, Victor reflected on his record-breaking performance. He said, “It’s great company to have my name next to him. And I guess, it counts even more since it’s from the Spurs.”

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Victor’s impressive performance against the Raptors further cements his case for the Rookie of the Year (ROY) honors. However, with OKC Thunder’s Chet Holmgren also performing at an elite level, the race for the ROY isn’t a foregone conclusion.

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Can Victor Wembanyama win the ROY award?

The race for the Rookie of the Year award will go right down to the wire, with both Wembanyama and Holmgren equally capable and worthy enough to win the award. However, before the start of the season, Wembanyama was the overwhelming favorite to win the award because of the hype surrounding the 7’4” Frenchmen. But Holmgren’s exceptional performances for the second seeded Thunder have balanced the scales.

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Statistically, Wemby has the edge over Holmgren. Victor has averaged 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Moreover, Wembanyama leads the league in blocks, with 3.2 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Holmgren has averaged 16.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game this season. At the moment, Wembanyama is the frontrunner for the ROY award, but don’t be shocked if Chet Holmgren clinches it. Who’s your pick for the award? Let us know in the comments below!

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