Imagine a 7’3″ basketball prospect who could shoot like Porzingis, defend like Rudy Gobert, and handle/pass the rock like a point guard. Apparently, that describes French basketball star Victor Wembanyama, who one scout described as “the best prospect in the world.”
Here’s what he said on Brian Windhorst’s podcast:
“There’s a kid in Europe right now. Victor Wembanyama, who’s maybe the best prospect in the world. He’s 7’3 with almost an 8 foot wingspan. He blocks shots like Rudy Gobert and he shoots like Porzingis. He can handle and pass. I’ve never seen anything like him.”
The crazy thing is, Victor is still only 15-years-old which means he still his body still has years to grow. While much of Victor’s future remains in doubt, there is a lot of excitement and optimism about his game. Here’s a segment from a piece ESPN wrote about him back in February:
Over the course of a three-week scouting trip in Europe, I evaluated a number of future NBA players, but none of them is more intriguing than 16-year-old Victor Wembanyama — the top prospect in all of Europe, regardless of age.
Even with 6-foot-9 phenom Emoni Bates dominating youth basketball in the U.S., Wembanyama might be the best long-term prospect in the world. He is undeniably a strong candidate to hear his name called No. 1 overall when the 2023 draft rolls around.
A lot can happen between now and 2023, but you can expect Victor’s name to pop up plenty of times in between. It will be interesting to see what kind of player he becomes.
