I saved my favorite for last. Holmgren hasn't gotten nearly the buzz he would be getting in any other Rookie of the Year race because of our collective, and understandable, fascination with Wembanyama, but he has actually been better, if only slightly, than Wemby.
As you can see, Wemby is scoring a touch more but at a significantly less efficient rate. I'm firmly in the camp the believes Wemby is already a DPOY contender, but Holmgren is, too. Holmgren, at just 7-foot-1 with just a 7-6 wingspan (not quite Wemby's 7-foot-4 and 8-0 marks), doesn't deter drivers with quite the same level of intimidation, but he's already a master rim protector who has logged a seven-block game and mastered the most important rule of shot-blocking.
Offensively, Holmgren is doing it all. He's not a great shooter spot-up for a big guy; he's a great shooter for any size: 56/54/90 shooting splits on almost four 3-point attempts per game. That's what has separated him from Wemby so far. The guy makes damn near everything. And he's got a lot of the same fluidity and and ball skills that we fawn over with Wemby. He can put it on the floor and create. He has superb footwork. He can grab rebounds and go without any assistance. He sees the floor. Let me tell you, if Wembanyama had made this pass -- on the run, with his left hand -- the Internet would've spontaneously combusted.
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