Anthony Davis and Victor Wembanyama went head-to-head in a must-watch big-man battle in the Lakers 122-119 win over the Spurs. With LeBron James out, the stage was set for the two to lead their teams, and they didn’t disappoint. Davis spoke about Wembanyama’s incredible hype and candidacy for Rookie of the Year after the game.
“He’s extremely talented, three-level scorer as we saw tonight. He’s been talked about a lot from his time overseas, coming into the league, and now. The team is struggling but he’s playing extremely well because he’s able to keep them in games, they’re playing really good basketball. He showed why he’s the No. 1 pick and a candidate for Rookie of the Year tonight.”
AD on what it was like playing against Wembanyama: "He showed why he's the No. 1 pick and a candidate for Rookie of the Year tonight." pic.twitter.com/pcM2rIGWt7
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 14, 2023
Wembanyama ended the night with 30 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and six blocks, leading the Spurs to an amazing fourth-quarter comeback to bring the game within one possession. Unfortunately, Wemby fouled out and wasn’t on the floor as the Lakers closed the game out with free throws.
Anthony Davis outplayed Wemby for most of the night, ending with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals. He had to be the go-to guy for the Lakers with LeBron off the court and he didn’t disappoint, improving the Lakers to 2-0 in games without LeBron this season.
Victor Wembanyama Locked In To Win Rookie Of The Year
Coming into the season, Wembanyama was widely picked as the Rookie of the Year favorite, though many notable people had Chet Holmgren as their pick. So far this season, the pair have had an incredible battle in the awards race.
Wembanyma is averaging 19.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks but has had plenty of low moments. The Spurs are 3-20 right now and rooted to the bottom of the West. Tonight’s loss was their 18th consecutive loss of the season, which isn’t the worst in the NBA because the Pistons have lost 21 consecutive games.
Chet Holmgren is averaging 17.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.4 blocks. His candidacy is boosted by his anchoring the defense of the OKC Thunder, the No. 2 seed in the West. He is actively making an impact on winning and has been one of the standout big men of the league already. Holmgren does have the advantage of having spent a year in the NBA, missing all of last season because of a Lisfranc injury. Being around the NBA and understanding what OKC needs of him has boosted him, similar to previous second-year ROTY winners like Ben Simmons and Blake Griffin.
Holmgren has the edge on Wembanyama right now due to their comparable numbers with a big difference in winning impact. Wembanyama is working with way less and is a No. 1 option, compared to Holmgren being on the same team as MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Nonetheless, Holmgren’s consistency will aid his case, though Wembanyama could find his way back to the top as the season progresses.
Other standout rookies are Jaime Jaquez Jr. in Miami, Dereck Lively II in Dallas, Brandon Miller in Charlotte, and Chet’s teammate Cason Wallace in OKC, among many others.
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