Image via Auzzy Byrdsell

By: Auzzy Byrdsell, Editor-in-Chief

Coming into the All-Star break, the race for Rookie of The Year has gotten more competitive between rising stars and ROTY front-runners, Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. With both players coming off strong individual weeks, they have strong outlooks on the remainder of the season ahead of the Panini Rising Stars Challenge. 

Since coming back to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Holmgren has helped define Oklahoma’s identity as one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Averaging almost 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists a game, his production brings a new look to last year’s Play-In Thunder team. 

“What’s really respected in this league is winning,” Holmgren said. “With the group of guys we got, if anybody’s not focused on winning– you know it’s kind of an outlier in our locker room. I’m not going to be the guy who’s pulling away from what we’re trying to do.” 

Playing alongside All-Star guard and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a strong supporting cast, the Thunder’s playoff expectations are the highest since Russell Westbrook led the team. The Thunder have only been in the playoffs once in the last five years. Currently sitting at 37-17 and the second seed in the Western Conference, the pressure on a rookie like Holmgren to make strides in the postseason is unconventional. 

Drafted in 2022, Holmgren missed what was supposed to be his rookie season during the 2022-23 season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot. Spending last season and the summer in recovery and getting acclimated with his team made his transition and success to the season primal. 

“After missing a whole year, I kind of lost the game feel for shooting,” he said. “I got to work on my shot from the ground up.” 

Missing last season also landed him in one of the most suspenseful and intriguing ROTY races in years against Wembanyama. The two have already matched up twice in the first half of the season with the Thunder on top in both.

“He’s a high level competitor, you can see that in how he plays and the emotions that he plays with,” Holmgren said. “He’s a really good basketball player too, so it’s always fun going against people that are really good but also play really hard.” 

Despite the struggles the San Antonio Spurs are juggling this season, Wembanyama is coming off a strong 10-game stretch averaging around 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three  blocks. In the second half of the season, he hopes anticipation stays high for him. 

“The rise of expectation has been going on all season and it’s no reason that it changes,” he said. “It’s something anyone has to manage in their career.”

The French phenom seems to be finding his footing after struggling from the field early in the season. Nonetheless, the next great matchup between the two young stars will be tonight in the  Panini Rising Stars Challenge starting at 9 p.m. EST on NBA on TNT. 

Copy Edited by: Kobe Scales, Sports Editor