So far this season, Chet Holmgren has lived up to the hype and then some. This has sparked plenty of debates around the NBA world, who is the leader for the Rookie of the Year award?
After suffering a season-ending Lisfranc Fracture suffered last August, Chet Holmgren became a rookie in the 2023-24 NBA season, making his debut just weeks ago in the same class as generational prospect Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama has been tabbed as the best prospect since LeBron James. It seemed unlikely anyone could dethrone him in the race for the Rookie of the Year award, as the media seemingly already cast their ballots in the preseason.
Chet Holmgren earns the first Rookie of the Month honors over Victor Wembanyama for the October/November stint.
While Victor Wembanyama has been awesome this season, Chet Holmgren is off to a sensational start. Holmgren through 19 games is averaging 17 points, eight points, two assists, a pair of blocks, and a steal per contest.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Holmgren's rookie season thus far is his efficiency, shooting 53 percent from the floor, 39 percent from beyond the arc, and 86 percent from the charity stripe.
Chet Holmgren has won the first Western Conference Rookie of the Month award. pic.twitter.com/kUg5gUaA4v
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) December 4, 2023
Victor Wembanyama is averaging 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, a steal, and two blocks. Wembanyama has shot just 43 percent from the floor, 27 percent from three-point land, and 83 percent at the charity stripe. For some reason, the Spurs are forcing the generational big man to play without a true point guard for the buik of his minutes.
Chet Holmgren's ability to impact winning, along with his individual performance, is what pushed Holmgren over the edge to take home this honor.
The Gonzaga product is following in the footsteps of Jalen Williams, who won last year's first Rookie of the Month honors.