The Victor Wembanyama hype train shows no signs of slowing down, and during the latest episode of Ticket & The Truth, Paul Pierce claimed he is one of the five most skilled players in the NBA.
“He out there looking like a 7’5″ KD,” Pierce said. “He looking like a cross between Giannis and KD… Right now, today, Wemby is one of the top five skilled players in the NBA. I said it right now.”
(starts at 4:08 mark):
Kevin Garnett tended to agree as he marveled at the fact that someone that tall could do the things Wembanyama does on the court. Pierce believes the San Antonio Spurs rookie is capable of doing things that Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Anthony Davis do.
Is Paul Pierce Right?
I think Wembanyama has a case to be regarded as the most skilled player who stands over 7 feet tall. He can score inside and outside, block shots, is able to defend on the perimeter, and can handle the ball too. We have never seen someone that tall be able to do all those things on the court.
That said, I don’t think height is a factor when we are purely talking about skill level. We recently ranked the 10 most skilled players in the NBA, and Wembanyama didn’t make the cut. Jayson Tatum also revealed his list of the five most skilled players in the NBA, and the Frenchman didn’t make it there either.
He has a unique skill set for a man that tall, but I don’t believe that makes him the 19-year-old one of the five most skilled players in the league. As he keeps working on his game, maybe Wembanyama could one day be in that conversation, but not right now.
Paul Pierce Predicted Victor Wembanyama’s Averages In His Rookie Season
Pierce had claimed previously that Wembanyama could be an All-Star as a rookie, and Garnett is now starting to believe it could happen. The last rookie to be an All-Star was Blake Griffin in 2011, so it hasn’t happened for a while. Pierce had also predicted what Wembanyama’s averages would be in his rookie season.
“With his height and his ability to be a lob threat at the rim and just the natural ability that he’s showing now, I can see him giving you like eight free throws a night,” Pierce said. “Just on fouls… He can give you 18 and 10 his first year.”
Pierce had made those comments based on Wembanyama’s play in the Summer League, but I think it has become clear now that he is not going to be a double-double threat. In four preseason games, the teenager has averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game.
Despite being that tall, he hasn’t had much success on the glass so far, which is a bit surprising. He will be able to score around 20 points per game, though, and I expect him to be among the league leaders in blocked shots as well.
With those kinds of numbers, he’d probably win Rookie of the Year. Wembanyama is going to face some stiff competition from Chet Holmgren and Scoot Henderson, but I think he will edge out both of them.
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