Tier: Generational

Player Comparisions: Kristaps Porzingis, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gobert, Bol Bol

Victor Wembanyama is one of a kind. He's widely regarded as the greatest draft prospect since LeBron James in 2003. He's 7'3" yet only about 220 lbs. He's got a frame that we've never seen. For comparison, Kristaps Porzingis is 7'3" yet he's about 240 lbs. The Frenchman is tall and lean, yet he's got the skill set of like, every single NBA player combined. He's extremely fast for his size, towering over players to block shots, yet he's a great 3-point shooter and he's got as good handles as anyone in the NBA. He's a major factor on both offense and defense, which explains why teams can't tank fast enough. We've seen multiple teams, like the Jazz and the Spurs blow up their roster for just a chance at this guy. The only real worry with him right now is that his frame will make him injury-prone, but if he can stay healthy, it seems certain that he'll go down as one of the greatest NBA players of all time.

It is tremendously arduous for me to describe Victor Wembanyama with one paragraph. Sometimes, when watching the game, we experienced one phenomenon, one specimen, one human being that is easier to comprehend when watched, rather than being written about. I'm sure most of you have tuned into a Wemby game, whether it was his prodigal FIBA play with France, his breathtaking bouts with fellow top projected pick Scoot Henderson, or his contemporary tape that is expanding every few days with Metropolitans 92. So it's almost futile to go too into depth about a prospect that has been covered on par with the attention of the collapse of the app with the little blue bird on it. But, screw it, I have to! I have to go in depth about a prospect that is so unique (forget about the mundane Chet Holmgren!), so skilled, so gifted. Wemby's sell as a generational prospect obviously starts with the defense. There is so much margin for error with little mishaps and positioning errors just because of his immense wingspan. He erases shots and the rack and instills a fear factor on the other side of the arena with his shot blocking skill. The mobility is something that I have previously said separates him from a guy like Chet defensively, and makes the comp more like Evan Mobley. His footspeed is insane for his size, he has a flexible hip turn, focus and passion to stay in front of his man, and even if he gets switched on to the ultra quick ball handler type that has become commonplace in the NBA over the last few years, his recovery length and strides allow him to mitigate offensive advantages and get clean contests. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Victor is a god at defense. The positioning and feel of where to be at isn't Jeremy Sochan esque for example (very few players have that uncanny sense). He could take a bit to get acclimated to NBA finishers. But the athletic tools, easy or not easy to see (load time, second jump, FUNCTIONAL length, footspeed, footwork, size) already give him the edge over the Sochans and even Chets on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively is where a fair share of the highlights go for Victor, and, frankly, why wouldn't they? Seeing a 7-5 guy handle the ball so fluidly in transition, attempt stepback threes (a differentiator from Mobley at this age) is freaking enticing. My biggest worry with him has mostly been centered around the handle and the creation in the post, and whether I'm willing to buy that. But he's getting stronger. It's evident that while watching his games in Europe he's going to have a sense of freedom to experiment and improve. This will be a massive year where I'm excited to track how much gravity he commands on the floor, whether the flashes of counters and moves will become actuality, and whether his shooting is as up to speed as the highlights say. And by the way, his shooting isn't perfect at this point. The percentages show some rough stuff, likely because of shot selection and lack of ELITE ELITE touch, but I still buy he has the potential to be one of the best big man shooters in the league. So yeah, that's why everybody is high on Wemby. Perfect prospect, right? But then come the injuries. BOO! BOO! The masses of Wemby fans are made irate by this topic. Over the summer, I pondered whether Chet Holmgren's downright tragic foot injury would affect the prospect case, and let's be honest, it probably does. Historically, the 7 footers of the NBA, Chet, Yao Ming, Kristaps Porzingis, have been very prone to injuries. It's the same thing with Wemby! It feels likely, almost inevitable, that one of these long term injuries are going to come to him, and that's the blatant worry. But at the end of the day, as I posed in my previous assessment of Wembanyama super early in the process, the allure may be greater than the risk of Wemby.

Comparison: Kristaps Porzingis, Rudy Gobert, Evan Mobley, KAT

Ceiling: One of the best players of all time, Hakeem career arc

Median: Kristaps

Floor: Injury Prone Rotational Big/Shorter Career, but still a high level role player

the man is goated. i've said this before, but what else is there to say? he is a legit 7'4" position less player who can shoot from the logo and handle the ball like a guard, while still possessing dpoy level talent on the other end. what world does he fail? a world where he suffers a tragic injury that limits him athletically for the rest of his career. that's how good he is. the only thing holding him back from being an all time great is possibly health. and he's even seemed pretty good in that regard so far. victor will be THE guy of this decade.

seems like every time the scoot vs vic debate comes back up, he pile in another massive performance. for this guy to end up as a non mvp, things have to go terribly wrong. i also think any reports of his defense being not as good as originally thought are a bit overblown. a guy with his size and vertical is going to be a dpoy at some point if he plays 35+ minutes a game.

I mean what can I say that hasn’t already been said about Victor Wembanyama? The dude is a really good basketball player and has so much upside. Every non playoff team will be praying to the basketball gods that they are lucky enough to get the 1st overall pick and draft Victor.

Best team fits: San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets

Victor Wembanyama is one of the most tantalizing prospects in a long time. Already, multiple teams are tanking to get just a 14% chance to draft him. They’re tanking for good reason, as Victor is a 7’5 shot blocking machine who can shoot and dribble. He’s every unicorn in the NBA’s - Poku, KP, Chet - dream. He’s the most extreme example of a unicorn ever. Unlike most unicorns, teams don’t have many concerns about him, and he will undoubtedly be drafted first overall by whatever team the ping pongs balls select. He’s one of the best prospects in a long time, and here’s what makes him so great.

OFFENSE

• Good shooter, can shoot off the dribble and off the catch from the outside. shot has a low starting point but that’s not a big deal

• can create from the perimeter, has an array of finishing moves he can score with

• super fluid with his movements, can move insanely well for his size

• his handle’s pretty good, can make moves but doesn’t have a super tight handle. amazing handle for his size however -he’s a splendid passer for his size, showing he’s a very well rounded prospect

DEFENSE

• amazing shot deterring, if he doesn’t block the shot he is deterring it in some way

• insane ground coverage, gets steals in passing lanes easily

• generational shot blocking ability, has an 8 foot wingspan. insane timing and doesn’t need to take time to generate power for his jump.

• can guard the perimeter decently well, he has pretty quick feet and is super mobile for his size

• only reservations i have about his defense is the close puts can be a bit lazy and his motor isn’t super high

ATHLETICISM/MEASURABLES

• 7’4, could be taller with an 8 foot wingspan

• super fluid, we’ve never seen someone that tall move like this before

• isnt a beanpole but the strength leaves some to be desired. he also isn’t chet holmgren, victor’s frame isn’t terrible. it shouldn’t be a huge problem as his frame can be filled out

• his footwork and dexterity is amazing for someone of his size and age

• very coordinated

OUTLOOK

• generational center, day one will be one of the best, if not the best, on his team.

• id even say he might be an all time level guy. every decade there’s one or two guys that defines it. in order it’s mikan, russell/wilt, kareem, bird/magic, mj, duncan/kobe, and lebron. wembanyama could be the next one. he should rack up DPOYs and be one of the best defenders ever

19.5 year-old 7'4 C/PF/SF. 2-Way Glass Cleaning Playmaking Shot Creator. Highly-skilled alien with an 8'0 wingspan. Victor will undoubtedly be picked by whichever team lucks into the #1 pick.

Strengths:

++++Shot Blocking

+++3P Shooting

+++Interior Scoring

++Shot Creation

++Foot speed

++Handles

+Passing

Weaknesses:

--Weight

--Strength

-Hustle

-Defensive IQ

-Potentially High Injury Risk

Shades Of:

Kevin Durant, Bol Bol, Rudy Gobert, Kristaps Porzingis, Chet Holmgren, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Ceiling: Hall of Fame, The G.O.A.T.

Floor: All-Star, Skilled Bucket-Getter

Team Fit:

No team will hesitate to make Victor their franchise player if they get the opportunity to draft him. He is 7'4, but with his foot speed, length, and ability to space the floor, he could in theory be used more like a wing by a team like Detroit that may already like their rotation of bigs.

Best fits within range: San Antonio, Orlando, Portland, Houston

VICTOR WENBANYAMA DEFENSE 7.3 ft 7.9 wingspan(almeno probabilmente di più) Skinny but more balanced than Chet Otherworldly defensive potential Amazing shot Blocker and elite intimidator Can block shots that other can only dream of reaching
Potential to be elite in all schemes can switch well especially against forwarda Can hedge is great at drop can be at the level of the screen and still contest a pull up Great at getting bumped and then still being able to block a shot Amazing even now as a weak side helper Sometimes can be a bit jumpy He can defend in the perimeter has insane length to contest and recovery tools But gets beaten quite often by small and quick guards on an island Moves incredibly fluidly for his size Projects as an incredible defender Sometimes looks a bit skewed when he moves because he hasn’t fully grown into his body yet There have been 26 players in NBA history listed at 7-foot-3 or taller. Only seven have had noteworthy careers: Yao Ming, Ralph Sampson, Arvydas Sabonis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Rik Smits, Mark Eaton, and Kristaps Porzingis. Of that list, only Smits and Eaton didn’t miss significant time He already has a concerning injury history, including a fibula stress fracture, a scapula contusion, and an issue affecting the psoas muscle in his back.

OFFENSE On offense is still raw but high potential and the flashes are amazing Shoots 3s with confidence but shot doesn’t go in consistently yet Shoots a low % but on a versatile profile Form looks smooth especially when feet are set HIS 3PT SHOOTING HAS BEEN GETTING BETTER AND BETTER (7/11 VS IGNITE) LOOKS MORE FLUID, SHOT PREPARATION MORE CLEAR AND ALLWAYS THE SAME AND NO FADES OR LIL INCONSISTENCIES Shown flashing of shooting off movement THIS MOTHERFUCKER IS HITTING STEPBACKS, TRALING THREES, OFF MOVEMENT AND OFF COMPLEX DRIBBLE MOVES THIS DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE Showed flashes of driving and of pull ups (even step backs) Flashes of OTD are intriguing smooth shot maker with high and unblockable release Good footwork in stepbacks and very fluid His GO TO move is the turnaround jumper but it is still inefficient it’s technically unblockable but not efficient settles too much for it Absurd lob catch radius good hands around the rim Not great at setting screens avoids contact a lot Doesn’t embrace phisivality on O and D Projects as Rudy Gobert that can shoot pass and dribble fluidly on offense Playmaking potential but makes still some erratic decisions Careless with the ball more tov than ast shown some flashes with good passes but especially from 1 pass away Touch on entry passes is really bad Some injury concerns