The rivalry between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren exceeded all expectations last season, giving NBA fans another classic showdown with great players, potentially picking up the torch from Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. NBA history is full of iconic matchups like these, from Bill Russell versus Wilt Chamberlain to Tim Duncan versus Kevin Garnett. Now it looks like Wembanyama and Holmgren are ready to add their names to that list.

They faced each other three times last season, with the Thunder winning two of those games. Wembanyama averaged 20.0 PPG, 13.0 RPG and 3.7 BPG, while Holmgren averaged 16.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 1.7 BPG in his matchups. They finished first and second in the Rookie of the Year voting, and Wembanyama came second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.

What makes this rivalry even more interesting? These two knew each other’s game before they came to the NBA. Holmgren represented Team USA’s U19 team at the FIBA ​​World Cup in Latvia in July 2021 and played with other future NBA stars. In the gold medal game, the USA faced France, where Holmgren and Wembanyama competed against each other for the first time. Although they entered the NBA in different draft classes — Holmgren missed his first year with a foot injury — their paths are already intertwined.

Wembanyama and Holmgren will meet for the first time this season on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. Here are some futures bets you can place on both players this season.

Two futures bets on Chet Holmgren

Holmgren named Defensive Player of the Year (+350)

Even though Victor Wembanyama got a lot of attention last season for his defensive talent, don’t let Holmgren down. The Thunder selected him No. 2 overall in 2022 because of his defensive impact. Last season, Holmgren averaged 8.0 RPG and 2.3 BPG in just under 30 minutes per game and played in all 82 games.

This season, he’s taken things up a notch: 13.0 RPG and 4.0 BPG in about 33 minutes per game across three games. But here’s the bottom line for voters – narratives matter. Oklahoma City won 57 games last season, finished in the top four in defensive rating and made it deep into the playoffs. The Thunder’s success and strong defensive identity could play an important role in Holmgren’s case, especially since teams that excel defensively increase their players’ chances of winning the award. The last Defensive Player of the Year winner outside of a top-10 defensive team since 2001? That was Marcus Camby in 2007. The Thunder’s success story could be a big part of Holmgren’s DPOY push.

Holmgren is named Most Improved Player (+1800).

The Most Improved Player market is one of the hardest to predict. But as Sun Tzu said, “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” Since the 2019-20 season, every winner of this award has also made their first All-Star appearance in the same year. Over the past two decades, most winners have seen significant increases in points, rebounds and assists per game. More than half were first-time starters both in the year they won and the year before.

Holmgren is on the right track to making that leap and could make a splash for the All-Stars in the Western Conference, especially if the Thunder can push for the No. 1 spot. Last season he averaged 16.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 2.3 BPG. This season he is averaging 23.7 PPG, 13.0 RPG and 4.0 BPG. It’s only three games, but this is a prime place to add a few units to this bet.

Two futures bets on Victor Wembanyama

Wembanyama rebounds per captain (+850)

Wembanyama made history on Monday night against the Houston Rockets, becoming the fourth Spur ever to record 20 rebounds and five assists in multiple games. He joins legends Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Dennis Rodman in this exclusive club. However, Wembanyama has only had one game with double-digit rebounds so far this season, making this a good time to consider this bet.

So far this season, Wembanyama has averaged 12.0 RPG with 31.0 MPG. The only players ahead of him are Rudy Gobert (12.3), Alperen Sengun (12.5), Chet Holmgren (13.0), Andre Drummond (13.0) and Ivica Zubac (14.0).

His offseason strength training is already paying off, but it’s his mental development that stands out, particularly his drive and competitiveness. This is important as Wembanyama will rely heavily on him in the rebounding department and Zach Collins is his only backup in the squad.

Wembanyama top scorer on Christmas Day (+2200)

The Knicks will host the reigning Rookie of the Year and the Spurs on December 25th. Wembanyama had his best rookie performance against the Knicks last season when he dropped 40 points and added 20 points in San Antonio. Now he’s back at Madison Square Garden for Christmas, looking for redemption after a rough first outing there.

Last season, Mitchell Robinson held Wembanyama to an inefficient 14 points on 4 of 14 shooting. However, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Robinson is sidelined with an ankle injury and will miss the remainder of the calendar year. Wembanyama will instead face Knicks newcomer Karl-Anthony Towns, who doesn’t have the same defensive reputation as Robinson. Bettors here should consider playing at Wembanyama, as guest stars often put on a show at Madison Square Garden.