Victor Wembanyama En Route to Usurp Derrick Rose as NBA’s Youngest MVP?

Victor Wembanyama’s rookie season is in the books. The San Antonio Spurs’ center exceeded the astronomical hype that he entered the league with, becoming only the fourth player and the first rookie to finish a season with at least 1,500 points, 250 assists, and 250 blocked shots. The 7-foot-4 French phenom has not only solidified his case for Rookie of the Year honors but also mounted a legit Defensive Player of the Year case and could very well be on his way to becoming the youngest MVP in the coming years.

Currently, the title of the youngest MVP in the league belongs to Derrick Rose, who won the award at 22 years and 191 days old. Rose was an absolute monster on the floor that season, averaging 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists for the Bulls, leading the team to the best record (62-20) in the NBA. While Wemby might surpass Rose’s statistics, it is highly unlikely that he’ll win the youngest MVP title.

For Wemby to become the youngest MVP, the 20-year-old needs to win the title by 2026. Despite his impressive rookie season, where he’s averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and an NBA-leading 3.6 blocks per game, there’s a formidable lineup of seasoned stars ahead of him in the MVP race. Players like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic boast superior statistics and lead teams with stronger records, placing them firmly in contention for the MVP honor. While Wemby’s rookie performance is exceptional, he’ll need significant improvement to challenge these established MVP candidates.

Apart from the individual statistics, being an MVP also means that your performance translates into the team’s success, which unfortunately hasn’t happened for the Spurs (21-60) this season. And whether that would happen next season depends on what kind of offseason moves the Spurs front office makes to surround Wemby with complementary pieces. The Spurs would have to at least be a team with a home-court advantage in the playoffs before Wemby is even considered in the MVP conversation. While the possibility of this happening next season is slim, it is not entirely out of reach, and their recent win against the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, proves as much.

Victor Wembanyama marks an end to his rookie season

Denver entered Friday’s game as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. However, the San Antonio Spurs opened up the race for the top seed after edging out the Nuggets by a final score of 121-120. Wembanyama led the charge with a double-double, scoring 34 points and 12 rebounds against Nikola Jokic’s camp. The game also marked an end to Wemby’s historic rookie season, since the Frenchman won’t be suiting up for the finale on Sunday.

The Spurs will face the Detroit Pistons for the final regulation game on April 14. However, Wemby is ruled out due to right ankle injury management. While he won’t be playing for the Spurs until next season, you can catch him in action this summer since he is expected to be a part of the French roster for the Paris Olympics.