Victor Wembanyama starts his second season

Victor Wembanyama lived up to the hype and some of last season's NBA fans are excited to see what the 7-foot-4 second-year phenom has to offer.

The 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year is a player you have to see to believe. He has incredible range and the ability to move from coast to coast in just a few steps to either make a quick push or score a strike.

The French native averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in 71 games during his rookie season. His 254 blocks led the league by a wide margin and his 3.6 blocks per game was higher than the averages of Brook Lopez and Walker Kessler, ranking second in the league by that metric.

This difference from other elite shot blockers in the league highlights the extent of Wembanyama's shot blocking abilities. It's rare.

If Wembanyama turns in an impressive rookie season at age 19, it's hard not to wonder how good he can get from here. The Spurs star is expected to increase his minutes played compared to last season's average of 29.7.

Wembanyama and Spurs should benefit from an improved supporting cast after winning just 22 games last season.

Chris Paul signed with the Spurs in the offseason to bolster veteran leadership and give the Spurs a strong facilitator in the backcourt. New signing Harrison Barnes brings talent and experience on the wing and rookie Stephon Castle shows a lot of potential at just 19 years old.

Castle was key to UConn winning the NCAA title again in 2024. The Georgia native was a highly sought-after graduate out of high school and fulfilled his potential by earning Big East Freshman of the Year honors. He averaged 11.1 points on 47.2% shooting from the floor for one of the best college teams in recent memory. Castle should also make an immediate impact as a defenseman who can play minutes at both guard positions.

Still, Spurs' success will depend heavily on Wembanyama's development, particularly in attack. In the 2023-24 season, he shot a promising 46.5% from the floor and 79.6% from the free throw line. He needs to improve his outside shooting, which he appears ready to do after averaging 5.5 3-point attempts per game last season and shooting 32.5% from 3-point range.

Some of the league's best big shooters average over 40% from distance and Wemby could make progress towards that goal this season after working on his shot over the summer. If the 3-point game becomes an important part of Wemby's game, there's no telling what his ceiling will be.

If everything goes well for the French phenom this season, Wembanyama could be in the MVP discussion.