Nothing more needs to be said about the historic rookie season for center, . Every night, he finds a way to impact the game in ways rarely seen before. He excels on offense and can use his generational length to shoot over and around any defender in his way. He can use the same length to defend players on multiple levels and block shots that otherwise would be unreachable. But as exceptional as Wembanyama , has he done enough to earn the respect of the media with regard to being one of the best in the league? And more importantly, has he done enough to earn the coveted All-NBA title when the season concludes? Wembanyama Starting a Trend It has been quite some time since the last rookie earned All-NBA honors. Not since fellow Spur, Tim Duncan’s rookie year has a first year player earned the respect of voters to make the list. Considering a rookie hasn’t been selected since 1998, it would take a historic season to do so. Historic, like Duncan averaging over 21 points and 2.5 blocks per game. Before Duncan, another Spur, in center David Robinson, earned an All-NBA selection as a rookie with a dominant 24 points and 3.9 blocks per game average in 1990. Wembanyama Compared to Last Four Rookies to Earn All-NBA 21.1 11.9 2.5 1998 24.3 12.0 3.9 1990 28.2 6.5 0.8 1985 21.3 10.4 0.6 1980 21.1 10.6 3.5 ??? Two exceptional rookie seasons by two of the best big men to ever play the game. But no matter how good Wembanyama’s rookie season has been, it means nothing if it hasn’t been better than the seasons of players in the league, regardless of position. After all, those are the players who will compete against for All-NBA votes. Since the voting formate changed in 2023, the players with the most votes will make up the first team, second and third. This means that Wembanyama isn’t only competing for forward spots, increasing his chances of being selected. But the path to an All-Star selection is one full of debris and other obstacles. After all, not even earned All-NBA accolades after his historic rookie season. However, an exception must be made this time. Not since James have we seen a rookie insert himself into the conversation as the best player in the league in his first season. Not since the days of Duncan and Robinson has a rookie dominated and established himself as a force on defense such as this. And not since has a rookie dominated on the defensive end in this capacity, Shaq averaged 3.5 blocks per game as a rookie, the same as Wembanyama. One clear example of the effect Wembanyama has on the defensive end is the block he recorded on Friday, April 5, late in a 111-109 win against the , a team who sits seventh in a loaded Western Conference with a record of 45-32. Wembanyama Level Above The Spurs' rookie has been near perfect all season. When comparing his season to players selected to All-NBA teams in the past, it is not hard to see why Wembanyama should as well. Look no further than last year. Already, the Spurs rookie is producing at a better rate than All-NBA third-team selections, Julius Randle and Domantas Sobanis. The case for Wembanyama grows even more when the 2022 All-NBA team is assessed. His numbers surpass veterans like Pascal Siakim, Karl Anthony-Towns and DeMar DeRozen and his impact reaches Wembanyama Compared to Other Notable Big Men's All-NBA Seasons 25.1 10.0 0.3 20.8 8.1 0.6 19.1 12.3 0.5 21.8 7.1 0.3 Wembanyama is a generational talent. Complete in almost every area except the beyond the arc. And while his time will come, an All-NBA selection may have to wait. Not because he hasn't earned it. He has. More than some veterans. But rookies just don't earn such accolades anymore. He is the future. SImilar to the great Spurs bigs of the past. If anyone knew, it is head coach Gregg Popovich, who coached both. He also lofted praise , as Michael C Wright and Michaela Gilmer of
NBA.com detailed. “I don’t think anybody has ever really done what he has done, so I don’t know what the upper level is. You look at his numbers and compare them to all the others — LeBron (James), KD (Kevin Durant) and everybody, it’s pretty awesome. I am just sitting back enjoying him.” — Gregg Popovich