In their annual preseason survey, NBA GMs were asked to vote for the player that would be the best option to build a new franchise around. Unsurprisingly, Victor Wembanyama dominated the poll, earning 77% of the votes from NBA GMs, followed by Shail Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, who were tied second with 10% each, and Luka Doncic in third with 3%.
Last year, Nikola Jokic was voted number one in the same category, with 33% of the votes. Considering this was coming in the aftermath of the Nuggets’ historic championship win, and that Wembanyama was still unproven in the NBA, it isn’t surprising that Wemby didn’t factor higher in the voting.
Victor Wembanyama dominated the NBA in his first season. Playing 71 games, Wemby averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game. It was an astonishing year from Wemby, which earned him the 2024 Rookie of the Year award, a second-place finish in the race for Defensive Player of the Year, along with NBA All-Rookie and All-Defensive first-team selections.
Wembanyama followed up his rookie season in the NBA with a dominant showing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he led France all the way to the gold medal game. Unfortunately, Wemby couldn’t help them topple tournament favorites Team USA. But he did earn a silver medal for a lot of his hard work.
Many expect Wemby to take a big leap this season. Now entering his sophomore year with a lot more experience, along with the addition of veteran point guard Chris Paul, Wembanyama has a lot of the tools to make a big impact on the league, and could earn his first All-Star and All-NBA selections this year.
Historic MVP Season For Wembanyama?
Some believe that Victor Wembanyama could be a contender for league MVP this year. The San Antonio Spurs have improved their team in the summer, and Wembanyama has also gotten to experience the grind of an NBA season. If he elevates his game from the level we have already seen him at, an MVP win wouldn’t be out of the question.
Former NBA champion Jeff Teague certainly believes Wembanyama has a chance, especially if the Spurs are able to rally in a difficult Western Conference to earn a top-6 seed.
If Wembanyama is able to win the MVP award, he could be the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to win the trophy in just the second season of their career. The only other players to achieve this feat are Bill Russell and Bob Pettit.
Wembanyama himself believes that he and the Spurs will win more this game, as he mentioned during his media day press conference. If he walks in with the mindset of wanting to dominate the league, there is very little other players in the NBA could do to try and stop him.
It will be a big year for Wembanyama, who continues his potential journey to becoming one of the greatest players of all time.
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