Are Victor Wembanyama's Spurs teammates sabotaging his Rookie of the Year chances? Examining their playmaking woes

The San Antonio Spurs' plan for the future rests on the shoulders of the 7-foot-4 Frenchman Victor Wembanyama.

The number one overall pick from the most recent draft received plenty of hype, with some making the bold claim that he could turn out to be a better first pick than LeBron James, who was selected first in 2003.

Moreover, Wemby also has to follow in the footsteps of the Spurs' last two number-one picks, David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997). Both had legendary careers that helped the Spurs secure several championships.

To his credit, Wemby has played with a measure of grace under all this pressure. He has looked like a leader on either end of the floor under Gregg Popovich's system, and for most of the season, he has shown that he's the best rookie from his class so far.

However, NBA fans, announcers and analysts are noticing a disturbing trend for the Spurs, which could be holding the promising rookie back.

There have been some instances where his team has failed to get him the ball despite Wemby being wide open in the paint, while he's cutting towards the rim or when he's posted up on a smaller defender.

In fact, in their most recent game, even the Chicago Bulls announcers made several comments regarding his teammates not passing Wemby the ball.

The lack of touches when he's in the perfect position to score the ball could be partially blamed for the Spurs' abysmal 4-23 standing. Without getting the ball inside, Wemby is sometimes forced to take more 3s, which is clearly not his strength, as he has only made 34-of-122 so far (27.9%).

He's also unable to showcase his interior scoring skills or playmaking abilities, all of which could eventually cost Wemby the Rookie of the Year Award.

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Looking at Victor Wembanyama's stats so far this season

If it wasn't for Chet Holmgren missing the entirety of last season, Victor Wembanyama would have been the clear choice for Rookie of the Year despite his team's failure to get him the ball during crucial moments.

At this point in the season, Wemby is averaging 18.5 points on 43% shooting. 10.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. On the defensive end, he has also made good use of his length, averaging 1.4 steals and 3.0 blocks.

As per NBA.com, he has climbed to the top of the league's Rookie Ladder as of Dec. 19, ranking higher than Holmgren for the first time since the season started.

Regardless of who wins the award at the end of the year, it will be difficult to discredit the fact that Victor Wembanyama is having a great start to his NBA career.