Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are two of the best players in the NBA, but more GMs stated in the annual survey, that they’d start a franchise with Victor Wembanyama than the two superstars.
If you were starting a franchise today and could sign any player in the NBA, who would it be?
1. Nikola Jokic, Denver – 33%
2. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio – 23%
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee – 13%
4. Luka Doncic, Dallas – 10%
5. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota – 7%”
This speaks to just how highly GMs value Wembanyama. To have him over Giannis, who is generally considered a top-20 player of all time, is saying something. Sure, age plays a factor here too, as Antetokounmpo is 28 years old, but you’d still get 4-5 years of great production out of him.
Seeing this, I wonder how much these GMs would have been willing to part with, had the San Antonio Spurs somehow been willing to listen to offers for the first pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. If he is seen as a better building block than every player in the league bar one, it probably would have been the biggest haul we have ever seen.
Is all this hype justified? Well, it still feels absurd to me to pick Wembanyama over Giannis and Doncic before he has even played an NBA game, but it’s clear that the majority of the league is completely sold on the 19-year-old.
Wembanyama has been hailed by the likes of Channing Frye as the greatest prospect in NBA history and the little that we have seen from him so far, suggests he can indeed be a very special player.
In his first preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wembanyama had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. He looked great out there and if he just manages to stay relatively healthy for the rest of his career, he has the potential to be one of the greats, but it is a big if.
Jerry West Believes Victor Wembanyama Can Be An Iconic Player
When we talk about the greatest executives in NBA history, there is one name that is always in the conversation: Jerry West. It was West who saw something special in a young Kobe Bryant in 1996, and there might only be a few who can boast of having a better eye for talent.
So, when West says Wembanyama can be an iconic player as well, there can be no better seal of approval. West even stated that Wembanyama is a bigger Bill Russell, and he seems completely sold on the Frenchman.
NBA GMs Have Drastically Changed Their Opinion On Nikola Jokic
The other notable thing here, of course, is that Nikola Jokic finds himself at the top by a decent margin. What makes that so interesting, is that Jokic received 0 votes last year. Antetokounmpo had gotten 55% of the votes while Doncic got the remaining 45%.
For so many GMs to change their mind on him a year later, suggests they might just be a bit fickle. I don’t disagree with Jokic being at the top, though, as his 2023 postseason was simply magical.
He silenced his doubters for good by averaging 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in the playoffs, to lead the Denver Nuggets to their first-ever championship. Odds are, though, that should he fail to repeat, we might see Jokic tumble down the list when the survey is held next year.
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