Chet Holmgren Moves to Odds on Favorite to Win NBA Rookie of the Year after Wictor Wembanyama
By Reed Wallach
Chet Holmgren's impressive rookie season has been rivaled by No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, but following Wembanyama's injury last week, the 2022 No. 2 overall pick has taken a stranglehold on the Rookie of the Year market.
Holmgren has been a star for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are third in the Western Conference at 18-9. After missing all of his actual rookie year due to a foot injury, Holmgren has looked like a future superstar on both ends.
Holmgren is averaging north of 17 points per game with eight rebounds and almost three blocks per game this season while shooting 37% from the beyond the arc. The 7'1" big man is shining on both ends, also having the third shortest odds to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Wembanyama has also been awesome in his rookie season, averaging nearly 19 points with almost 11 rebounds and three blocks, but the Spurs are among the worst teams in the league, 4-24 on the year with the second-worst record in the NBA.
While this would be a stellar race to follow, the catalyst for Holmgren moving to a considerable favorite is behind Wembanyama set to miss time due to a freak injury in pregame warmups. The French sensation rolled his ankle in pregame warmups
Wemby out for the game after stepping on Mavs employee during warmups 🚨 pic.twitter.com/fupZJCHTVP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 24, 2023
Per Spurs, Victor Wembanyama is a late scratch and will not play vs. Mavs. He stepped on a ball boy’s foot during warmups. After he was re-taped, Spurs made decision to sit him. https://t.co/EzYxgbHlqs
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 24, 2023
While he may not miss much time, Wembanyama has sat due to ankle and hip injuries already this season. With the Spurs already out of the playoff picture, the team may opt to sit him more often than as the season winds down. Given the NBA implemented a new rule this season that states that players must play 65 games to be eligible for awards, Wembanyama must hold up physically to qualify.
Here are the updated odds for Rookie of the Year, highlighting the shift in Holmgren's odds following Wemby's not-so-serious ankle injury.
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2023 NBA Rookie of the Year Odds
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.