Victor Wembanyama’s 2 exhibition games during the NBA preseason against G League Ignite have left the whole world in awe of the 7’5″ freshman. His incredible skill set at his size has never been seen before in the NBA, with many calling Wembanyama an even greater prospect than LeBron James.
LBJ’s current teammate Patrick Beverley saw the Wembanyama show firsthand and revealed what an insane prospect he is from his perspective. He also maintained he’d be the one to stop Wembanyama in the league.
“He is different. I have never seen anything like it. The No. 2 pick is even nice, Scoot. This Victor guy, I wanna see how this goes.”
“I don’t see nothing (standing in his way). I don’t know a lot about the kid but for the most part, it seems like he has a good supporting cast. Not even like a supporting cast, he’s like one of those European guys who’s just stayed in Europe. He’s coming over here like, ‘okay, cool, lemme show y’all before I hop back on this flight home’. He’s gonna be special. Catch a DHO from the top of the key with two strides, corner 3? That’s OD. One of the guys over here told me that worst case scenario, he’s going to be Porzingis. If everything went wrong. he’d be Porzingis. Think about that. His ceiling is unseen.”
(on how he’d guard Wembanyama) “Me. I don’t know, do everything. Gotta get him to lean (on his hamstrings). His legs are where my shoulders are. That’s OD though. Good for him and his family.”
While Beverley’s aggressive defense may catch Wembanyama off guard a couple of times, it’d be an incredibly challenging task for Beverley to consistently stop the man who’s over a foot taller than him. Wembanyama is going to be a cheat code in the modern NBA.
Will Wembanyama’s Skill Translate To The NBA?
The one thing that can never be taught to an NBA player is their size. Wembanyama stands among the tallest players in the history of the NBA, so that on its own would have made him an intriguing prospect. But his ability to block shots, dribble, and shoot makes him extraordinarily unique.
He definitely will struggle to adjust to the strength of NBA players, but his game is so unique that he will definitely find different ways to remain effective. He can drop in a finger roll with one step from the free throw line and have the length to maneuver the ball away from opposing defenders.
He may struggle to dribble and shoot with the same efficiency as NBA-level defenders, but his game has enough for him to be an instantly impactful player in the NBA.
