Kia Rookie Ladder

Kia Rookie Ladder: Victor Wembanyama returns to No. 1 despite Spurs' struggles

The No. 1 overall pick continues to shine bright as the Spurs search for wins.

Steve Aschburner

December 13, 2023 4:42 PM

The Spurs have struggled to start the season despite the addition of Victor Wembanyama.

Few NBA rookies, no matter how lofty the expectations for their eventual careers, get held responsible for immediate W-L success. By draft design, the best ones typically go to the neediest teams, who have more problems than any 20- or 21-year-old can solve.

But elite rookies are supposed to make some difference. The very best have turned their teams into instant contenders – think Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (+29 victories), Larry Bird (+32) and David Robinson (+35).

Certainly, teams aren’t supposed to get worse when they add a hot prospect. But that’s how it is for now with Victor Wembanyama and his 3-19 San Antonio Spurs.

A little history

To keep this simple, we’ll look solely at Rookie of the Year winners, who did well enough in their debut seasons to earn that award. Over the past 30 years, across 32 players (two ties), only four came from teams that finished with fewer than 20 victories.
The Spurs are on pace to win 11.
The fewest victories for a ROY winner’s team since 1993 was 16, by Andrew Wiggins’ 2014-15 Minnesota Timberwolves. The other three below 20: Chicago’s Elton Brand (17 in 2000), Emeka Okafor (18 in 2005) and Michael Carter-Williams (19 in 2014).
Go back another 33 years and (34 players) to Wilt Chamberlain, the greatest rookie for whom the award is named, and you’ll only add two more sub-20 winners. Sidney Wicks’ Portland team in 1971-72 and Walt Bellamy’s New Yorker team in 1960-61 each won 18 times.

What’s at stake

Sure, it still is early. San Antonio only has to go 17-43 to reach 20 wins and keep Wembanyama out of this club.
But the other top ROY contender, Chet Holmgren, plays on a Thunder team that already has won 15 – more than the Spurs might manage all season. At its current pace, OKC would finish 56-26, nail down a top playoff seed … and open a gap too big for the voters to ignore.
And there’s this: The past eight ROY winners all helped their teams improve that first season. The average gain: 12 victories. The Spurs would need to go 31-29 the rest of the season to improve by a dozen games on last year’s 22-60.

Latest ranking

(All stats through Tuesday, Dec. 12)

1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 18.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.6 apg
Last Ladder: 2
Draft pick: No. 1

Five double-doubles in a row and two gaudy games against the Bulls (21 points, 20 rebounds) and Rockets (15, 18) bump the Spurs’ youngster to the Ladder’s top. That 20-20 game came in his first start at center, which ought to be his focus – he has made just one of his past dozen 3FGAs.

2. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

Season stats: 17.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.5 apg
Last Ladder: 1
Draft pick: No. 2 (2022)

Except for blocks (3.7) this week, Holmgren’s numbers drooped as he averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 boards and 1.7 assists. He did get his plus/minus gap vs. Wemby to +271. But he probably did his best work on Instagram.

3. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets

Season stats: 14.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.2 apg
Last Ladder: 3
Draft pick: No. 2 overall

Miller has scored 10+ points in seven straight games and all but two of his 19 appearances. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team saw the Hornets forward Monday, had praise for him and the work of his coach Steve Clifford.

4. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat

Season stats: 12.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.5 apg
Last Ladder: 4
Draft pick: No. 18

The East’s NBA-decreed top rookie for October/November is averaging 14.5 points and shooting 51.5% in December. He scored 18 in 24 minutes before fouling out vs. Charlotte.

5. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz

Season stats: 11.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.2 apg
Last Ladder: 6
Draft pick: No. 16

Topped all rookies in scoring and assists the past week. And he has dished more assists (120) than any other two rookies combined. The Texas product matched Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 30 points, 7 assists – vs. OKC Monday.

The Next 5:

6. Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons

Season stats: 10.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.5 apg
Last Ladder: 5
Draft pick: No. 5

The Pistons rookie finds ways to contribute, with or without scoring.

7. Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks

Season stats: 9.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.2 apg
Last Ladder: 8
Draft pick: No. 12

Shooting 80.4% (37/46) since Thanksgiving, league-best 73.7% overall.

8. Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards

Season stats: 8.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.8 apg
Last Ladder: —
Draft pick: No. 7

Bigger role, better results so far in December (12.5 pp, 6.0 rpg).

9. Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors

Season stats: 8.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.4 apg
Last Ladder: 10
Draft pick: No. 19