Is Wembanyama Already Top Ten?

By James Constan

Evaluating the Rookie Phenom’s First NBA Season

Coming into his rookie season in 2023, Victor Wembanyama was given lofty expectations by critics and fans alike. The seven-foot-five Frenchman was the highest-touted prospect since Lebron came out of St Vincent St Mary’s. Critics wondered if Wemby’s lengthy frame could hold up throughout the NBA’s grueling season.

Wembanyama not only lived up to the hype, but exceeded the expectations of even the most fanatical San Antonio Spurs fans. He averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists per game with a league-leading 3.6 blocks per game. This production even came while playing on a minutes restriction, as an early season ankle injury forced coach Gregg Popovich to limit Wemby to twenty-seven minutes a game for the majority of the regular season. However, Wemby only missed 11 games all year due to injury, silencing critics who believed his body couldn’t handle the NBA. Along the way, Wembanyama won fans over by maintaining a humble demeanor. Following a game in January, the twenty-year-old revealed that he shuts down his phone at 9:30 every night, but not because he wants to party with no distractions: he opts to read every night before falling asleep.

Wembanyama’s dominant season unsurprisingly led him to a unanimous win over Chet Holmgren and Brandon Miller for Rookie of the Year. His production on the defensive end earned him a second-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting, with fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert earning the honor after anchoring the Timberwolves to the third seed in the West. Despite the phenomenal start to his career, Wembanyama was unimpressed with his level of play. Showing his hunger towards constantly improving as a player, he stated, “I didn't exceed any expectations, that I should have done more.”

Given Wembanyama’s masterful performance on both the defensive and offensive facets of the game, did he do enough to become a top ten player in the NBA? You can put nine players ahead of him pretty easily: multiple time MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, legends Steph Curry, Lebron James, and Kevin Durant, and rising stars Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Devin Booker all have pretty comfortable cases to be above Wembanyana, and Jalen Brunson deserves the nod too.

Victor Wembanyama had a terrific rookie season, and likely has MVPs and NBA Championships in his future. However, Wemby can not be currently regarded as a top 10 player right now.