SAN ANTONIO — Las Vegas oddsmakers are busy with 2024-25 NBA Draft prop futures and projecting who'll be the 2024-25 NBA Most Improved Player.
And according to oddsmaker Draft Kings, San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama is atop the projections with +1000 odds to take home the hardware tied with Cavs' Evan Mobley.
It's hard to imagine how much more Wembanyama can produce on the court after a stellar rookie season.
However, if anyone can surpass what he did last season, it is Wemby.
The 2023-24 Rookie of the Year Award winner led all rookies in points (21.4), rebounds (10.6) and blocks (3.6) per game, in addition to ranking fourth in assists (3.9) and second in steals (1.2) per game. He is the second rookie to lead all NBA players in blocks per game in a season.
He also became the first player to average at least 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks in fewer than 30 minutes per game in a season. He is also the first player to have at least 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 blocks, and 100 3-pointers made in a season.
In addition, he became the first player to achieve a triple-double with points, rebounds, and blocks since Clint Capela in 2021. He also became the first player in NBA history to put up a 20-point, 10-block triple-double in fewer than 30 minutes played.
And that is just scratching the surface of what the Spurs center did last season.
What is scary for the rest of the league is that even he admits he can get better on the court.
"I am young, getting better every day, and I think we could say that for every month, to the next one. The good thing is my margin of progression, I don’t even know how big it is," he said last season. “I can get so much better, and this is what I am trying to do every game, every week and every month.”
Wemby would have to have an incredible boost in stats to win the MIP next season, and he can.
When you add veteran point guard Chris Paul, teammates from last season already acclimated to his play, and his developing NBA IQ, there is a strong chance Wemby could be in the MIP race.
No one should be surprised if he wins the award or multiple awards next season, specifically the 2024-25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
What do you think, Spurs fans? Let us know on X at @KENS5 and @JeffGSpursZone.