LATEST NEWS:Victor Wembanyama’s block rate is mind blowing — and he’s just a rookie

I find Victor Wembanyama’s blocks to be a particularly fascinating aspect of his game. The most astounding statistic I found in my research about his prospects of winning Rookie of the Year is that, in addition to leading rookies and the league in blocks, he may be amassing even more.

All of the players who have played at least 500 minutes this season are plotted in the figure below, which also contrasts their amount of disputed shots against blocks. Wemby’s season statistics are attached, along with his splits between the fourth and fifth spots in the lineup. For players who place in the top 5% in either blocks or contests, I have also given labels.

Walker Kessler, who has improved his numbers on defense but has regressed offensively from his rookie season last year, is the only player to average more blocks per 36 minutes this season. Wemby wins, though, if we just consider his stats since he started at the center. When it comes to how fast he blocks shots, he is absolutely insanely fast. Just contrast that with the other side, where Zach Collins of San Antonio and Dwight Powell both compete for many shots but have trouble producing blocks.

If Victor continued to play at his present pace and could complete more than 15 bouts in a 36-minute period (like Chet, Kessler, and Lopez), he would likely record 5.48 blocks in that time. That would increase his average number of blocks per game from 3.2 to 4.26 given his current minute allocation! In the contemporary era, Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon, Manute Bol, and Mark Eaton are the only other players with more than four blocks a game.

We can be sour about the lack of appreciation for Wembanyama’s accomplishments this year, but even he has acknowledged the significance of just being the greatest version of himself. Many Hall of Fame players who have won numerous championships but weren’t named rookie of the year exist. Additionally, rings, MVPs, and all-NBA teams seem like the honors he will be most concerned about receiving. Thus, as I said in my earlier post, don’t be startled if they choose Chet for ROTY for no apparent reason; this is only fuel for the fire and Victor Wembanyama’s incredible performances are only getting better. And maybe a few Defensive Player of the Year honors too.