The Extra Terrestrial: How Victor Wembanyama will fit into the NBA
Wemby is, without any doubt, a unicorn. A freak of a profile, he's been drafted #1, and has immediately been thrust into the spotlight. But how will he help Coach Pop and the Spurs?
With the San Antonio Spurs winning the NBA Draft Lottery and acquiring Victor Wembanyama as their first pick, we could potentially see the building blocks of a new dynasty. Having been officially listed as 7‘4 coming into the draft, Wemby is a talent the likes that the League has never seen before. He’s been touted as the best draft product EVER, over the likes of LeBron and Jordan.
With the outside shooting that’s comparable to some of the game’s greatest-ever shooters, and the reach and inside game that the League hasn’t seen since the days of Shaq and Yao Ming, Wemby is a weapon guaranteed to raise the potential of any team he joins.
With Gregg Popovich being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, there’s probably no better coach under whom he could start his NBA journey. Having built a memorable Dynasty on the backs of versatile big men like David Robinson and Tim Duncan, Coach Pop is no stranger to Forwards with huge potential and skill.
With a reported 8-foot wingspan, a vertical leap of 32 inches, and a standing vertical of 10 feet, Victor Wembanyama is a freak of nature, no doubt about it.
With the changing landscape of the NBA (thanks to Steph Curry), modern-day bigs are expected to be relatively decent three-point shooters, with many teams specifically recruiting centers that can shoot the ball. While inside presence is still supremely important, with teams depending on bigs for their offensive and defensive rebounds, the increased importance of three-point shooters is something that is slowly phasing out the old-school idea of what a big man should do. It’s almost like he’s been created in a lab to be the best basketball player ever (on paper).
With Wembanyama, we’re slowly going to see the best of both worlds. Supreme inside presence (that lanky frame will need work obviously but he will always be a threat), combined with the footwork, dribbling, and shooting of an above-average guard, Wemby’s name on the roster propels the Spurs to a genuine threat this season.
Surrounded by nifty players in Jeremy Sochan, Reggie Bullock and Cedi Osman, Pop’s side will hope to make a statement when they take on Luka Doncic’s Mavericks on the 25th of October.
With Wembanyama the obvious center of attention because of the hype he has been generating, fans worldwide will be waiting to see how the Spurs fare this season. Of course for Wemby, the stakes are different. Anything short of a ROTY performance and a deep playoff run (with the possibility of a ring) and he’ll most likely be considered the biggest bust ever.