Going into the 2023-24 NBA season, many assumed San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama would walk away with the Rookie of the Year award without much debate. While the season started with debates surrounding who would take home ROTY, Wembanyama has firmly decided that the trophy is his for the taking.

Other freshmen like Chet Holmgren, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Brandon Miller have all put their respective stamps on their teams, but Wembanyama is still running away with the award.

In fact, as the season wears on, Wembanyama has established such a dominant lead in the ROTY race that sportsbooks are turning away bets for anyone aside from him, Holmgren, and Miller. While the 2023 Draft Class is full of talent, three players stand head and shoulders above everyone else.

As the 2023-24 NBA season carries on, rookies are firmly establishing themselves on their teams and are carving out their careers little by little. Given that there can only be one Rookie of the Year, GIVEMESPORT evaluates the best first-year players thus far and ranks them based on their likelihood of getting the coveted award.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Victor Wembanyama’s active streak of eight games with 10+ rebounds is behind only Anthony Davis and Domantas Sabonis for the longest such streak this season.

1.Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs

ROTY Odds: -35000

The San Antonio Spurs have been a mess all season. They lack an elite, true point guard, consistent scorers, and the proper spacing to really make a competent team, let alone a winning win.

Even with all those holes, No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama has been among the league’s best players. He has the second-best odds to win Defensive Player of the Year behind only fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert, and has been an instant-impact player all season.

Standing at 7-foot-4, the French big man has tried to do everything by himself. He’s scoring more than any rookie, blocking more shots, nabbing more rebounds, and leads the leagues in “stocks.”

As such, he’s had a few troubled games, but for the most part, he’s been one of–if not the–best player on the court any given night.

Since the All-Star break, Wembanyama has unlocked a new level of his game, shooting 40.8 percent from deep, blocking 4.9 shots, and scoring well over 20 points per game.

He has the height, length, and basketball IQ to help defend anybody approaching the rim. He’s leading the league in blocks with 3.4 per game, but also walks away with 1.3 steals per game, showing that he can create possessions on defense, and he can turn the defense into offense.

Wembanyama will eventually become a true star, and projects to be the best player in the league in the coming seasons. He’s got some refining to do, and any remaining concerns about his play this early in his career are partially unfounded.

For now, however, he’s a strong rookie with limitless potential, of which he’s only just begun to scratch the surface.

2.Chet Holmgren – Oklahoma City Thunder

ROTY Odds: +2200

Chet Holmgren may have missed what would have been his rookie season a year ago, but maybe waiting on the sidelines helped refine his game before he even stepped foot on an NBA court.

Or maybe it’s the fact that he’s joining a team of young players who have been working their way up the standings for a few years with no real results. Whatever the case may be, Holmgren has easily been the second-best rookie this season.

He may not be scoring, rebounding, or blocking at the same rate as Wembanyama, but he doesn’t need to. He’s a winning player on a winning team, with a bright NBA future.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a well-rounded team with plenty of scorers and shooters surrounding Holmgren, leading him to take few ill-advised shots. His patience and shot selection is well reflected in his shooting splits.

His ability to score from anywhere, paired with his offensive consistency, gives the Thunder a true second star to pair with their star guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He can dunk, grab alley-oops, hit the fadeaway, finger roll, and hook shots with ease, and has a pretty decent jump shot to boot.

He looks composed and ready to play his role at any given time if he knows it’ll help his team win. Even if his assist numbers don’t quite show it, he’s unselfish and puts winning ahead of personal success. It just so happens that he can do both at once.

He is a very good player who would be the clear-cut favorite any other year. He projects to be a multi-time All-Star who is consistently in the running for Rookie of the Year, but the one rookie better than him has legitimate GOAT potential. Holmgren just can’t quite reach that high, so to speak.

3.Brandon Miller – Charlotte Hornets

ROTY Odds: +50000

The Charlotte Hornets have had a difficult time perfecting their rebuild. Although LaMelo Ball has been every bit as good as advertised, he’s lacked the right supporting cast around him to maximize his potential.

Brandon Miller selected second in the NBA Draft, entered as a premier scorer whose ability to score was touted as innate. He drew early comparisons to Paul George, and while he still has a ways to go before fulfilling that promise, he’s been a capable option in the rotation.

So far, he’s been a strong dunker, completing 88.9 percent of his attempts, as well as a solid shooter, knocking down 37.1 percent of his shots from deep. Even though he’s been a veritable scoring option, he hasn’t been able to defend particularly well.

Opponents are shooting 50.0 percent against him, a number that only increases when he’s defending players inside the three-point line. He’s also not a great playmaker yet but has the potential and dribbling skills to find new ways to involve his teammates.

Miller may not be the favorite to win Rookie of the Year, but his place on the NBA All-Rookie first team should be safe if he continues scoring at the same pace he is now.

On top of that, he is swiping the title of Charlotte’s Golden Boy away from Ball, and could be the face of the demoralizing franchise moving forward.