The Chosen One II: Victor Wembanyama
Lew Alcindor. Patrick Ewing. Shaquille O’Neal. LeBron James.
These four athletes are arguably the most dominant, can’t-miss prospects in the NBA’s history, and slowly but surely, a fifth name might be starting to get added to that list: Victor Wembanyama.
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Wembanyama was born on January 4, 2004 in Le Chesnay, France. He first began learning the game of basketball at the age of four and was coached by his mother. His European professional debut came in October of 2019 when he was just 15 years old. Standing at 7-3 with an 8-foot wingspan, Wembanyama has one of the most unique physiques we have ever seen for an NBA prospect.
Last week, Wembanyama made his debut in the United States, playing in front of thousands of fans in Las Vegas with his European professional team, the Metropolitans 92. In the two games that he played, Wembanyama averaged 36.5 points on 50/50/71 splits. Aside from his scoring, he also averaged 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks.
Special.
The box score stats don’t even do Wembanyama’s potential justice. On the court, he has the athleticism of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the shooting of Kevin Durant, and the defense of Rudy Gobert. He plays like a guard but has the height of a towering center. The league has not seen a prospect as talented and gifted as Wembanyama, and it may not see anyone else quite like him for a very long time.
The biggest knock on Wembanyama has been his weight and whether or not he and his 7-3 210-pound body frame will be able to stay healthy. Unfortunately, 7-footers who are very skinny in the NBA typically have a lot of foot injuries throughout their careers, as we saw with Chet Holmgren this summer, who will miss his entire rookie season after injuring his foot in a pick-up game in August.
Wembanyama’s lengthy frame can change over time, however, as we have seen with Antetokounmpo, who has developed into a superstar. When Giannis entered the league in 2013, he weighed 190 pounds. Nine years, two MVPs, and one world championship later, he has gained over 50 pounds and now scales in at 243.
If Wembanyama can get his weight up from 210 to 250-260, he might become one of the most all-around dominant NBA players we have ever seen. But, even if he stays skinny and reciprocates a style of basketball similar to Durant, he still has superstar potential.
Wembanyama’s athleticism, shooting, and defensive talents all by themselves make him a special player and must-watch prospect. But, when you combine all three of them, Wembanyama has the potential to be one of the greatest basketball players we have ever seen, a player that is too good to be true for even a video game.
As the season progresses, the league may see some of the most egregious tanking that has ever taken place, even more so than in 2003 in the race to the bottom for LeBron James. Will Wembanyama turn out to be the generational talent that everyone is proclaiming him to be? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain: whichever team’s ping-pong ball is the first selected in eight and a half months in the NBA Draft Lottery will be the biggest winner from the 2022-23 NBA season.
Maybe even more so than the team that wins the NBA championship.
