NBA: Way-too-early bold individual award predictions for 2023-24

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla and Jayson Tatum (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla and Jayson Tatum (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
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Victor Wembanyama
San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama (Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports)

NBA Rookie of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Predicting that Victor Wembanyama is going to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award isn’t a big surprise. He was the No. 1 overall pick and has been labeled as one of the best draft prospects in a long time. With the way Wemby has played in the pre-season for the San Antonio Spurs, it would be surprising if he didn’t make a big impact during his rookie season. Wemby is going to take the NBA by storm and is going to have a huge influence on how successful the Spurs are going to be this season.

I don’t think it’s fair to expect Wemby to average 20 points per game while playing excellent defense, but I also don’t think it’s completely off the table. At the very least, Wemby is going to be good right away. He may not be the dominant force that many believe he can be, but he’s going to make an immediate impact.

It’s not going to be long before the Spurs are really good and Wemby and his emergence as a dominant player is going to be a big part of that. The question is, how soon will he reach that dominance level? Will it start with a Rookie of the Year award?