The debate on which rookie will take out ROTY rages on and Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett is torn over his decision.
The two front-runners that have emerged are clearly Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.
KG says Chet is obvious choice as OKC sits in second-placed in the West with a 30-13 record.
Wembanyama’s Spurs only have a 8-35 record, but Garnett thinks the impact Wemby is having is profound.
“I’m picking Chet for the Rookie of the Year, and I’m only saying it because his team in winning… Then two, why you watch the Spurs? I’m only watching Spurs for one person,” Garnett said on Ticket and The Truth Podcast.“I watch the Spurs because of the Big Fella, and Big Fella brings a show every night. Bro when you come in and start doing sh*t that none of us or the whole fraternity ain’t seen, that’s when you start putting your print on the league.”
Fellow Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce agreed with Garnett and acknowledged that while Wemby isn’t winning games, his stats are super impressive.
“This historic year that Wemby is having, only a few rookies that come in averaging 20 and 10… maybe he’s not impacting winning but for you to come into the league with no experience as a rookie and be out here,” Pierce said. “You know, hard it to get 20 and 10, you gotta mature into that.”
The 20-year-old is averaging 20.3 points, ten rebounds, and a league-high 3.2 blocks per game, which showcases the impact he’s already having on the league.
The ROTY battle between Chet and Wemby took place on Wednesday night, and although OKC had a more than convincing 140-114, Wemby beat Chet on the statsheet.
The Frenchman logged 24 points, 12 rebounds and four assists as well as four blocks, while Holmgren recorded 17 points, 9 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
One thing is for sure, the battle for ROTY certainly isn’t over yet.