Welcome to Wembanyama Wednesdays, our new recurring weekly post that will provide you with everything you need to know about Victor Wembanyama, the once-in-a-generation talent coming to an NBA team soon.
At this point, if you’re a basketball fan, Victor Wembanyama hardly needs an introduction. He is the most-touted prospect in recent memory.
His height and wingspan make for a combination the NBA has never seen before. He makes Rudy Gobert look small. His highlights are so ridiculous. LeBron James said he is more like an alien than he is a unicorn.
The NBA has made his French games free to watch on their global app, and he’s the projected No. 1 overall pick in our latest mock draft. There is a lot to like about Wembanyama, and we want to keep you updated on everything in his orbit.
We will give you his latest stats and we’ll provide you with all of the highlights (like this hilariously impressive, buzzer-beating Euro step) you could possibly want.
Victor Wembanyama hitting the euro at the buzzer 🚨
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/Na6EJTje9y
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 29, 2022
But we will also tell you when you can watch his next games and provide the latest updates about the NBA teams tanking to land him.
Plus, we will recommend some other articles written about this mesmerizing prospect.
Essentially, each Wednesday, this will be a one-stop-shop for everything you could possibly want to know about basketball’s next star.
Brick for Vic
There were a few options to name this section, and fans on Reddit had some hilarious ideas. Some suggestions included “Win Nada for Wembanyama”, “Lose-o-rama for Wembanyama”, and “Play Bad for the French Lad”.
Brick for Vic, however, was the runaway favorite and one my colleague Mike Sykes and I are adopting at For The Win. This is where we’ll look at the most fun potential NBA destinations for Wembanyama.
As of right now, the best possible fit for Wembanyama would be the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans have the right to swap picks with the lowly Los Angeles Lakers (1-5) as part of the Anthony Davis trade, and that would be a truly astonishing twist of fate. For now, though, I’d guess the Lakers can turn it around. New Orleans and Los Angeles face each other this evening.
Otherwise, based on the latest gambling odds, here are the teams who are considered the least likely contenders to win the NBA championship in 2023:
Houston Rockets (1-7)
Orlando Magic (1-7)
Sacramento Kings (2-4)
Detroit Pistons (2-6)
Indiana Pacers (3-5)
Oklahoma City Thunder (4-3)
The San Antonio Spurs (5-2) and the Utah Jazz (6-2) will likely also join those ranks at some point, but until then, they’re both off to a hot start so far this season.
GAME LOG
Oct. 15 (vs. Le Mans Sarthe Basket)
24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 8-of-19 FGA, 2-of-7 3PA, 6-of-8 FTA, 36 minutes
Oct. 21 (vs. ADA Blois Basket)
17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks, 7-of-10 FGA, 2-of-3 3PA, 1-of-3 FTA, 27 minutes
Oct. 29 (vs. JL Bourg-en-Bresse)
23 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks, 7-of-12 FGA, 0-of-3 3PA, 9-of-10 FTA, 37 minutes
UPCOMING GAMES
Nov. 4, 2:00 PM ET (vs. CSP Limoges)
Nov. 18, 2:00 PM ET (vs. Nanterre 92)
Nov. 26, 2:00 PM ET (vs. Nancy Basket)
STATISTICS
Take a look at his recent game log and you will see three awesome performances. But I want to highlight the game on Oct. 21, however, in which he had his second-lowest scoring total of the season.
It wasn’t an NBA game, so this isn’t a one-to-one comparison. However, there is only one player who has ever recorded at least 17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks, 2 3-pointers, and 1 or fewer turnovers in a single NBA game: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Change the threshold to two or fewer turnovers and the only players added are Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Rasheed Wallace, Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, and Karl-Anthony Towns. All were at least 23 years old and each player logged at least 32 minutes in their respective game.
Wembanyama, however, did as much at 18 years old and just 27 minutes of action. I obviously understand the level of competition is different, but it does give us a sense of the type of player he can potentially emulate in the NBA.
Overall, he leads the league in blocks (2.8) so far this season. His team has a defensive rating of 97.4 when he is on the floor, per RealGM, which is the second-best among all qualified players. He also leads his league in total defensive win shares (0.6) as well.
During the possessions when he is on the court, as noted by Francesco Olivo (@f_olivo99), Metropolitans 92 have a block percentage that is nearly double almost any other team in the league.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
The most jaw-dropping highlights we’ve seen from Wembanyama lately:
Transition defense
Perimeter defense
Interior defense
Transition offense
Pick and pop
Playmaking
RECOMMENDED READING
The best stories that you can read about Wembanyama right now:
Victor Wembanyama Has Always Done Things Differently (Tania Ganguli, New York Times)
“He said, ‘You know, Coach, my name is Victor,’” [his former coach Michaël] Bur recalled in French. “I said, ‘Well, yes.’ He said, ‘What letter does it start with?’ And I said, ‘the letter V,’ and he said: ‘V in Roman numerals means 5. My name is Victor because I can play all five positions.’ And I thought that was extraordinary for a 16-year-old.”
Season of Wembanyama begins, and the hype hasn’t stopped: What NBA execs are saying (David Aldridge, The Athletic)
Western Conference Executive: Wembanyama has essentially told everybody, even though I’m the No. 1 pick in the draft, I’m not going to shut it down and sit and wait. Right there, he just solidified — if he breaks both legs, I’ll still draft him No. 1 and wait for him. The guys that scare me the most are the guys who won’t compete. And this kid says, ‘I like playing. And the only way I’m going to get better is by playing.’
I Watched the NBA’s Best Prospect Since LeBron James Play Live in France. Wow. (Henry Grabar, Slate)
Also courtside was the former French prime minister Lionel Jospin, a serious basketball fan who has seen Wembanyama play before. “I’m not going to come to every game, but I’ll be back,” explained the 85-year-old socialist.* “First because it’s beautiful, and then because it’s rather extraordinary to watch this prodigious player realize his potential, make these changes. What strikes me is that he’s absolutely not timid, even though he’s very skinny and in front of some very powerful, muscular athletes. Either on defense or when he attacks. He goes for it. He’s got the love of the game. Look at him smile.”
The Diminishing Returns Of Victor Wembanyama’s Height (Mark Deeks, Forbes)
He will need to refine the moves and the touch, and get stronger in his frame, but you cannot suppress a Wembanyama shot. You can only contest it. His passing, too, benefits from the vision and reach made possible by his ability to see over everything. To be that unrufflable as well as that agile is a truly tantalising combination. That said, if Victor truly is at the higher end of that estimated range – or, given his age, potentially still growing taller – there will come a point that that stops becoming a blessing, and becomes a concern.
Victor Wembanyama’s Defense (Tyler Metcalf, No Ceilings)
What makes Wembanyama such a fascinating prospect is that he has some meaningful areas to improve on, but he is still a highly impactful defender. The improvement areas we ran through aren’t unfixable. With more experience and coaching, I would expect them to disappear rather quickly. Once he irons out some of those bad habits, he can easily go from a really good defender to a truly dominant one.
