Is the Rookie of the Year Award on the line tonight as Chet Holmgren battles Victor Wembanyama?

The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are facing off as part of NBA Rivalry Week. This is in large part due to Chet Holmgren facing off with Victor Wembanyama, as the two generational big men will play on National TV for the second time in the regular season.

No matter if the two rookie big men like it or not, their careers will be linked together and compared until the end of time. All the way down to this manufactured NBA rivalry. However, given their competitive edge and want to be great, the two sides might be right as rivals.

Will the NBA Rookie of the Year award be crowned tonight as Chet Holmgren's matchup with Victor Wembanyama takes center stage?

Right, wrong, or indifferent, the NBA award voting by the media is largely narrative-based. It is human nature, and games like this have a lasting impact in a tight race.

The two sides take center stage on National TV; with this contest being on ESPN, Victor Wembanyama is playing his best basketball, and the race between him and Holmgren is razor-thin.

If either player has a dominating game, it can overshadow the rest of the season and I think it will sway the vote in a clear direction.

From now until game 82, these two big men will be neck and neck statistically; from there it is all a person's judgement of how much weight to put into things like team success, efficiency, and roster construction.

With stats so close, as they project to be down to the wire, a monster performance from either side might get their name sharpie'd into the top spot on the Rookie of the Year ballot.

While neither player will be defined by whether they won Rookie of the Year or not, and each fanbase, organization, etc., should be thrilled with the outcome of their respective selections, of course, you always prefer to win an award than lose.

So far this season, Chet Holmgren has won each Rookie of the Month award in the Western Conference, and right now, Victor Wembanyama is likely the leader in the clubhouse to take home January's honor.

It will always be a circle the calendar moment when Victor Wembanyama faces off with Chet Holmgren, and everyone across the NBA landscape hopes we are circling those dates for the next 12-plus years.

The last time these two teams met, the OKC Thunder embarrassed the Spurs to the point where TNT pulled the plug on the game. With the Thunder on the second night of a back-to-back after a narrow win over Portland, it will be interesting to see how much gas they have in the tank.