5 reasons why Victor Wembanyama will not win NBA Rookie of the Year

The hype surrounding Victor Wembanyama as he enters the NBA is unlike anything seen in recent memory. The young French phenom is seen by many as the biggest basketball prospect since LeBron James.

Even as good as he is, there is, however, still some doubt that playing for the San Antonio Spurs does not make him a lock to win the 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Here are five reasons why Victor Wembanyaman won't win the ROY award:

#1) Winning matters

In the past years, winning already matters in the NBA Rookie of the Year race. Take it from the case of Cade Cunningham losing to Scottie Barnes in 2021.

Barnes and the Toronto Raptors went to the NBA playoffs in his rookie year while Cunningham's Pistons' win-lose record didn't improve much when he came in.

Just by looking at the Spurs roster composition this upcoming season, they don't have much to even reach the play-in in the stacked Western Conference.

#2) Load Management

Having been drafted by the Spurs as the No. 1 pick, Victor Wembanyama is on a team and coach that invented load management. The Spurs will be looking forward to spending the next decade or more with their new cornerstone player and will look to preserve him as much as they can.

#3) Victor Wembanyama and his durability issues

The slim stature of Victor Wembanyama has been seen as a problem entering the league. Just with the case of Chet Holmgren postponing his rookie year just because he tried to block LeBron James' shot, there is that chance that big men will target the French center and test his strength.

Until the Spurs figure out a way to turn him into a Giannis Antetokounmpo transformation, his durability is a big question mark.

#4) Chet Holmgren and Scoot Henderson

Going back to "Winning Matters", Chet Holmgren is now on a team that is ready to make a deep run into the playoffs. Having him at center gives the OKC Thunder the defensive anchor that he needs.

On the other side, Scoot Henderson as a ball handler has the power to control the pace and even take the game into his own hands.

These two rookies will likely give Victor Wembanyama a good challenge for the ROY honors.

#5) San Antonio Spurs don't have ball distributors

Having centered the franchise around a big man, you would need to pair Victor Wembanyama with a guard who can feed him the ball to be effective. There are not many guards that can do that to him unless the Spurs manage to snag James Harden or Damian Lillard.

Wembanyama has some ball-handling skills himself but when he dribbles against elite guards, that ball is likely going to get snatched.