Is Victor Wembanyama playing in the playoffs? Exploring the French phenom's chances of featuring in the NBA 2023-24 season playoffs
Victor Wembanyama has quickly established himself as one of the most fearsome talents ever seen in the NBA. The 20-year-old French phenomenon has effectively taken the league by storm and is averaging 20.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.4 blocks per game.
Wembanyama has been able to showcase his prodigal talent despite being on a team that has struggled consistently since the start of the season.
While the player’s potential is unlimited, the San Antonio Spurs have struggled to churn out wins. They were recently officially knocked out of playoff contention and Wembanyama won't appear in the playoffs.
Spurs have largely been known to be out of playoff consideration, but it was confirmed after last Thursday's 131-129 loss against the Sacramento Kings.
The Spurs hold the worst record in the Western Conference this season and the third-worst in the league (14-51). The Spurs still have a better record in the regular season than the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons, the two other teams who have been knocked out of playoff contention.
Now, the Spurs are in contention for the lottery picks with respect to the upcoming NBA draft.
Victor Wembanyama is still the favorite for the ROTY award
Perhaps what best describes Wembanyama’s commanding campaign is that he is still the majority’s favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award this season over Chet Holmgren. Notably, Holmgren plays for the OKC Thunder, who are 1st in the Western Conference this season with a 45-19 record.
Holmgren plays alongside the likes of Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Luguentz Dort, and the Thunder are undoubtedly one of the title contenders this time.
Despite the success, it is the Spurs’ Wembanyama who has impressed fans to such an extent that he is largely being seen as the favorite, both by fans and analysts.
Wembanyama is averaging 20.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 3.4 apg and 3.4 bpg, while Holmgren has 16.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.7 apg and 2.5 bpg.
Wembanyama's overall size and athleticism give him an incredible reach that makes for some unique highlights. His talent has been evident in the league since day one, and Wembanyama’s impact has only continued to grow.
The player seems to have the right mindset and is well aware that there is plenty of scope for improvement. Wembanyama will be hoping that the Spurs will able to create a team around him capable of challenging the bigger NBA rosters, something which looks unlikely for the time being.
It will allow Wembanyama to have more success and is effectively the way forward for Gregg Popovich and his team.