Wembanyama

Rudy Gobert (L) poses next to Victor Wembanyama after an exhibition game on October 6. Steve Marcus/Getty Images North America/Getty Images.

But his maturity and his confidence, he’s very unique.” I didn’t do anything yet.” He’s also caught the eye of LeBron James who earlier this week said Wembanyama was an “alien” and a “generational talent.”

John Hollinger analyzes Wembanyama's absolutely incredible game, but explains why tanking is not a strategy NBA teams should take on.

Beyond that, it wasn’t even the statistical accumulation that was so amazing, but the breathtaking way in which he accomplished it. Over the two games, Wembanyama scored 73 points, shot 9 of 18 on 3-pointers, drew 28 free throws, blocked nine shots … But nothing could have prepared us for the show we got from both players

ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported drafting Victor Wembanyama might add as much as $500M to the value of the NBA franchise. These are painful words ...

And that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the EuroLeague fans, who were ready to witness his greatness weekly on the biggest European stage this season. But he couldn't finish the season in the French league due to a muscle injury. The initial idea was to move Wembanyama to Paris. They would have played at least 68 games in EuroLeague and French league (excluding the playoff games). But as his agent Bouna Ndiaye recalled, that was never the case for Wembanyama. He bought some time and did meetings when Wembanyama's camp showed they would opt out of the three-year contract with ASVEL in June. He came back and finished the season with a couple of promising EuroLeague performances vs. They had one giant reason from an average domestic league club in Europe that overshadowed the tip-off of the 2022-23 EuroLeague season. NBA talking heads discussing Wembanyama's outings in the EuroLeague. ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported drafting Victor Wembanyama might add as much as $500M to the value of the NBA franchise. NBA people flooding the EuroLeague cities every week. With Chris Paul and Devin Booker sitting at courtside to witness Wembanyama's greatness?

LeBron James called him an alien. Everyone else is already calling him next year's no. 1 pick. Just how good can the silky 7-foot-4 star be?

The nature of the game today only amplifies the pressure on Wembanyama, given the obligations for a big to switch on the perimeter, defend every corner of the court, and handle the ball from the outside. Wembanyama plays a lot on the perimeter, but even with his slender 220-pound frame he boxes out for rebounds and absorbs contact in the paint. I asked a handful of executives what the risk really was for Wembanyama to play. He said a ton of friends and family texted him about it and his reaction was merely, “It’s cool.” There’s a maturity to the way the French star thinks and approaches both basketball and life. 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. NBA teams view his family as a strong support system that will help him adjust to life in the NBA—and the inevitable fame that comes with it . Most execs around the league are confident in Wembanyama’s ability to become a reliable shooter because of his rate of progress and the work ethic he’s displayed so far. And sometimes, he’ll use that flexibility in a game to catch a body. I sat two rows back from the court and it didn’t take long for Wembanyama to make it clear he is the best prospect in the 2023 class, and the best prospect I have scouted in my He battled bouts of streakiness and shot 31 percent from 3 and 68.5 percent from the line in recent seasons overseas. Wembanyama is the first to admit it’s way too soon to anoint him as anything, but the Vegas showcase was organized in large part to display his talents on a worldwide stage. He stands at a towering 7-foot-4 and doesn’t even need to leave his feet to alter shots because he can stretch his 8-foot wingspan to swat away jumpers or poke the ball away from would-be attackers.

The projected No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft shined bright in two showcase games against Scoot Henderson and G League Ignite.

The comparisons have been all over the place, and we’re all struggling to find them. I didn’t play a game in the NBA yet, I didn’t get drafted. Eighteen-year-old Victor Wembanyama is not physically here to stay—he’s headed back to France to continue the Pro A season with his club, Metropolitans 92— [but with two dazzling showcase games against G League Ignite](https://www.si.com/nba/2022/10/05/victor-wembanyama-scoot-henderson-2023-nba-draft-g-league-ignite-metropolitans-92) (and [top U.S.-born prospect Scoot Henderson](https://www.si.com/nba/2021/11/18/scoot-henderson-g-league-ignite-daily-cover)), Wembanyama has arrived for good. There were many of them: Wembanyama’s presence in Vegas also overlapped with a pair of Lakers preseason contests against the Suns and Timberwolves. There’s a sense of wonderment that comes with watching him play—and how much he seemed to be enjoying himself—which makes it tough for even the most impartial of observers to keep a stiff lip. His defensive impact was easy to understand on film, but he shoots the ball even better than you might expect, and his overall comfort level handling it is something that has to be witnessed to fully comprehend. And as I understand it, that message is coming straight from the source: Victor himself is far too competitive to entertain the idea of sitting out games when healthy. Many franchises (I won't name names, but most of them are preparing for losing seasons) flew in large chunks of their front offices to watch him practice and play. [Wembanyama Week festivities](https://www.si.com/nba/2022/10/05/victor-wembanyama-scoot-henderson-2023-nba-draft-g-league-ignite-metropolitans-92) have come to a close here amongst the neon signs and freeways, but the story itself is very much beginning. While Henderson (who is officially day-to-day with a bone bruise) has been naturally cast as Wembanyama’s presumptive foil as a candidate for the No. Wembanyama is very arguably the most skilled basketball-playing teenager on earth, while he’s listed at 7’ 2”, tells reporters he’s 7’ 3”, and, to some speculative observers, may be taller than that. Thursday’s tilt tipped at noon local time and unsurprisingly lacked the same energy, compounded by the fact Henderson played just four minutes before knocking knees with Wembanyama on a switch, getting the worst of it, and sitting the rest of the game as a precaution.

L'espoir de la France Victor Wembanyama va briser la NBA cette saison avant même de joueur un match, ça promet.

Genre, une équipe avec plus de 70 victoires et une autre avec moins de 15. À deux semaines du début de la saison, la tension est déjà très haute dans le camp des champions et les équipes avec de grandes aspirations auront les dents longues. Dans la NBA, plus que dans les autres sports, trouver une pépite lors du repêchage peut changer le visage d’une organisation pour de longues années. Dans un duel direct contre un autre très bon espoir, Scoot Henderson, Wembanyama a dominé tous les aspects du jeu et avait l’air du meilleur joueur sur le terrain pour les deux équipes. Ça pourrait nous donner une saison historique avec un sommet très très haut et un plancher très très bas. Il a bloqué 5 et 4 tirs lors de ses deux matchs.