Last night saw the Oklahoma City Thunder & San Antonio Spurs get their pre-season campaigns underway and the world got the first glimpse of what could be a great rivalry between Chet Holmgren & Victor Wembanyama.

Holmgren was the No.2 overall pick in 2022 but missed the entire season due to injury, making this his rookie season, while Wembanyama was the No.1 pick in this summers draft and projected as the most talented prospect in 20 years. The two went head to head last night and if their performances continue on a similar trend we should be in for the best Rookie of the Year battle since LeBron James & Carmelo Anthony back in the 2003/04 season.

The 2003 draft class was one of the most stacked ever (Dwayne Wade & Chris Bosh were also part of the class) but James & Anthony really stood out and the decision to award LeBron with the ROY is still debated to this day.

Head to Head:

LeBron- 21 PPG, 5 RPG, 6 APG- 79 GAMES

Carmelo- 21 PPG, 6 RPG- 82 GAMES, LED HIS TEAM TO PLAYOFFS

A pair of top level rookies, who both went on to achieve great things in their careers, we could be about to see the same with Chet & Wemby.

During last nights game, it appeared both players were told this is your moment go out and dominate, as the two trade buckets and dominated the opening quarter. Holmgren displaying good versatility on both ends and Wembanyama doing a bit of everything. Holmgren finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds & 1 block, while going 2/2 from three. Wembanyma had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals & 1 block, while also making a pair of three's.

Now, last nights performance was a more realistic look at what we will see from Wemby this season compared to Chet, as the Thunder were playing without Shai Gilgeous Alexander. However, he showed his ability on both ends and that maybe the offense might be an edge better than the defense as a rookie, contrary to popular belief around the league.

Meanwhile Wembanyama looked exactly like the giant with a guards handle that was predicted and while everything he tries won't always come off, especially in year one, he will certainly be a player to be feared from this moment on.

Individually, both players have the potential to have all-time great rookie seasons. With a realistic chance to help their teams reach the playoffs in the West in year one, which doesn't happen very often. Chet vs Wemby is not to be missed and could prove to be a rivalry that defines a generation.

OKC face San Antonio on November 14th, mark it in your calender's now!

Photo Credit- CBS Sports