In Victor Wembanyama’s first performance on the world stage, he delivered an amazing show, pouring in 37 points for a jaw-dropping exhibition win over the G League Ignite on Tuesday.
It was a truly stunning debut for Wemby, who has now caused a ripple effect in the NBA.
In fact, according to one anonymous league GM, Victor’s ascension could trigger a “tanking” war of epic proportions.
NBA GM Reveals How Victor Wembanyama’s Rise Could Impact The NBA This Season
Obviously, it was just one game, but if Vic is even half as good as he was on Tuesday, then he is going to be really special — and teams are going to do whatever they can to draft him for themselves.
In a recent article, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony dropped the latest intel on the race for Wembanyama and heard from one GM who compared him to LeBron James (not in the way that you think).
(via ESPN):
Wembanyama’s brilliance was met with a spectacular performance out of G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, whom is expected to be the No. 2 overall pick in the June draft. In the history of these potential 1-2 draft pick matchups, it’s been rare to have both players shown such a high-level of skill, maturity and potential in a head-to-head performance.
As impressive as Henderson’s potential appears as a franchise lead guard, it is Wembanyama’s unprecedented combination of size, skill and substance at 18 years old that mesmerized the approximately 200 NBA executives and scouts in attendance in suburban Las Vegas and reaffirmed beliefs that this promises to be a transformational player and historic NBA Draft. “Victor distorts basketball reality,” one GM told ESPN on Wednesday. “The tank/trade market will really shift after that showing. It feels like last night will start a race to the bottom like we’ve never seen.”
His performance in French’s club Metropolitans 92’s loss to the G League Ignite — 37 points, seven three-pointers and five blocks — punctuated what teams scouting Wembanyama for years had already believed: He’s an historic talent. As GM on a team with a chance to contend for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick told ESPN on Wednesday morning: “He’s a 7-foot-4 Durant who blocks shots — and he’s not even close to what he’s going to be. He will be the most hyped player since LeBron.”
Needless to say, generational talents only come around every so often, so when you think you’ve found one, it’s smart to take full advantage of the opportunity. In Wembanyama’s case, drawing comparisons to LeBron James and Kevin Durant shows full well how much he has impressed with his play so far.
For now, all we can do is watch and wait, but it will be interesting to see how desperate some of these teams get to maximize their lottery odds for the upcoming draft.
