7. Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, two mythical beasts, arrive in the NBA at the same time.
The 2021 U19 World Youth Championship featured a championship duel between American Chet Holmgren and Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, two towering figures in the game. In the end, the older Holmgren led the United States to a world championship and collected an MVP title for himself. They were simultaneously selected as the top five players of the tournament. Both are tall and thin, of high quality, possessing a startling blocking capability and a good aim, making their future quite promising.
Holmgren entered the NBA a year earlier but, unfortunately, suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason, coincidentally starting his NBA career in the same year as Wembanyama. The warm-up game in which they played against each other was full of passion, and their confrontations during the regular season games were a sight to behold, considering they were both part of Western Conference teams.
Both players are of the unicorn-type; tall figures with good mobility. Wembanyama's height and wingspan are more astonishing, providing extraordinary coverage in defense. However, his French league days criticized shot selection has not improved. His shots, pulled up forcefully due to his height, may look cool but, in the long run, is an inefficient way to attack.
Please continue reading below:Holmgren has a more complete skill package and shows even better judgment and strategy execution. A quote from "Peak Notes" resonates here: "software is more important than hardware." The consistently underestimated Chet Holmgren perfectly fills the defensive anchor role that Thunder needs. Whether simply making space or setting high screens during the attack, he always poses a great threat. His impressive shooting stats make Holmgren far more efficient than any other rookies.
From a physical point of view, Wembanyama has a slight advantage, but Holmgren takes the lead in maturity and on-court wisdom. They occupy the top two spots in the rookie ranking, and as long as they stay injury-free, one of them is bound to be the Rookie of the Year.
The future of the NBA depends on the performance of these two unicorns!
