20-year-old rookie Victor Wembanyama gave 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo a run for his money last night. The two behemoths had a historic duel in their career’s first meeting. Even though The Greek Freak came out on top with a 44-point performance, Wemby won hearts with his incredible 27-point performance on a minute restriction. The 7’5 giant had some insane highlights, including a clutch block on Giannis.

Veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith had a lot of good things to say about Wembanyama after his incredible performance, but still gave OKC rookie Chet Holmgren the nod over Wemby in the ROTY race.

Stephen A. Smith has Chet Holmgren ahead of Victor Wembanyama

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith talked about Victor Wembanyama’s historic 27-point performance in last night’s game during The Stephen A. Smith Show. He praised the San Antonio Spurs rookie and marveled over his unique skill set. But Stephen A. snubbed Wembanyama in the ROTY race and picked Chet Holmgren over him for a specific reason. “Right now, I have got Chet Holmgren ahead of him because he is a major contributor on a winning team out West, whereas the Spurs are just not good,” the analyst said.

Victor Wembanyama is having a great individual season. He is the rookie leader in multiple categories, including points, rebounds, blocks, and steals. Wemby is also the league leader in blocks, with 3.2 rejections per game. However, he is doing all that on a losing team. Despite Wembanyama’s dominant season, the San Antonio Spurs have the worst record in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Chet Holmgren has helped the OKC Thunder rise to the 2nd spot in the same conference. That is the reason Stephen A. Smith has Holmgren over Wembanyama in the ROTY race.

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Is the ROTY award about individual stats or team record?

Many people in the NBA community are picking Chet Holmgren over Victor Wembanyama as their ROTY. That has raised some concerning questions about the award. There is no set criteria to award a player with the ROTY trophy. Victor Wembanyama is clearly having a better statistical year than Chet Holmgren, and he has dominated his opponents in one-on-one situations throughout the season. However, many consider Wemby’s stats meaningless because of his losing record.

Holmgren is also having a dominant season, averaging 17.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. And that is while helping his team win consistently. This year’s ROTY race is one for the ages, and its outcome will determine whether the voters fancy a player with better individual stats or a player who has helped his team win games.

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