Rising superstar Victor Wembanyama is already burdened with great expectations in his second NBA season. Speaking on the ‘Club 520’ podcast, former NBA point guard Jeff Teague went so far as to say that Victor could be in play for MVP this season if the Spurs are at least 6th or 7th in the West.
“If [the Spurs] get to the 6th to 7th seed and win the play-in in the West, he might win MVP because they roster is a**,” said Teague.
Former Bulls star Derrick Rose currently holds the record for youngest MVP ever at just 22 years old. It would have to take something extraordinary for that record to be broken — but if anyone has a chance, it’s 20-year-old Victor Wembanyama.
Coming from his stint in Europe, on the Metropolitans 92, Victor Wembanyama was drawing comparisons to legends like Kevin Durant, David Robinson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He was hailed as the greatest basketball prospect since LeBron James and an easy pick for the Spurs, who won the Draft lottery with the No. 1 overall pick.
Since his arrival, Victor has proven to be a generational type of talent with loads of untapped potential. In his first 71 games as a pro, Wemby averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and a league-high 3.6 blocks per game on 46.5% shooting.
His versatility on offense opened up the floor for his young teammates and his impact on the other end kept the Spurs in games they had no business winning. Best of all, Victor did it all as a complete professional with no drama or distractions to derail his development.
This summer, Wembanyama followed up the performance with a stint at the Paris Olympic Games. As the star of Team France, Wembanyama carried his country to the finale before losing the gold medal to Team USA. He dropped 26 points in 30 minutes, including 3 three-pointers.
The 2024-25 campaign will be a fresh start for Wemby and everyone is expecting him to take some kind of leap from his rookie year. His jumper, which started off slow, will likely be more consistent as Victor grows more accustomed to NBA defense.
Wemby’s shot selection should also improve, as it was a major sticking point among critics last season. Of course, with veteran guard Chris Paul now handling point guard duties, the Spurs will be much better at helping Victor get to his spots and making life easier for him on a team with such little star power.
Even at their best, the Spurs will struggle to hold a top-six spot in the West, and falling below the play-in line might eliminate Wembanyama’s chances for MVP. But if he can somehow get them at or near those top-tier teams, it might be all he needs to insert himself into the conversation.
For a team this bad, winning more than 25 games would normally be an accomplishment. The mere presence of Wembanyama shifts those expectations and if he can answer the call it may result in a historic season for the 7’4″ superstar.
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