On Tuesday night time, the San Antonio Spurs suffered their second defeat in simply over seven days to the Houston Rockets. Throughout their final two matchups, the Rockets’ protection has stored Victor Wembanyama on edge, holding him to a median of 11.5 factors on 40.9% taking pictures. These numbers fall under Wembanyama’s season averages, clearly highlighting Houston’s defensive prowess.
Wemby on the challenges of being defended by hard-nosed Dillon Brooks and all the opposite our bodies the Rockets throw at him:
“The physicality, the vitality. Each night time it is a problem, however it is a very aggressive group defensively, so that is essentially the most onerous.”
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) March 13, 2024
Regardless of the rookie’s offensive struggles, he was honored with the league’s Rookie of the Month award for February earlier than tipoff.
Rookie of the Month x2
.@wemby is the primary Spur since 1998 to win Rookie of the Month in back-to-back months! Congrats on profitable the February @Kia Western Convention Rookie of the Month award! pic.twitter.com/wuEbLA1oOh
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 13, 2024
Now, almost two weeks into March, I delved into Wembanyama’s month-to-month stats compared to different rookies. Early within the season, there was no debate that the 2 standout rookies have been Chet Holmgren and Wembanyama. Nonetheless, Holmgren has hit a latest droop, solely managing to common 13.3 factors and one block whereas taking pictures 44.1% from the sphere over his final six outings. These figures are notably decrease than his season-long averages, doubtlessly diminishing his candidacy for the March Rookie of the Month award.
One other contender in Wembanyama’s path is the rising Keyonte George, who shouldn’t be solely scoring extra factors than the Frenchman but additionally taking pictures effectively, notably from past the arc, the place he boasts a 50% success price on eight makes an attempt per recreation.
Regardless of Wembanyama’s latest decline in taking pictures effectivity, his total influence on the court docket stays vital sufficient to place him because the frontrunner for the award as soon as once more, overshadowing George. If he secures the award for March, Wembanyama would replicate final yr’s achievement by Paolo Bancherro in profitable the award three months in a row.
Whereas I don’t agree with the concept stated within the tweet, a lot of these performs can certainly be irritating for me. Nonetheless, they’re par for the course when you will have a younger group nonetheless within the studying course of.
Is that this a brand new signature transfer from the Frenchman? The Wemby scoop dunk?
One factor is definite: the rookie at all times appears to ship in clutch moments. On this explicit night time, his lone block got here at an important juncture, lower than two minutes earlier than the top of the sport.
