Shaquille O’Neal has made a U-turn about Victor Wembanyama, months after he shared his doubts about the French player being good in the NBA.
Now that Wemby is set to join the San Antonio Spurs in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft, Shaq has changed his mind after watching more of his game, and knowing that he will be coached by Gregg Popovich to start his career.
“I say really fast [he can adapt to the NBA] because the guys are not playing down low anymore,” O’Neal told Suzy Schuster of The Rich Eisen Show. “Guys are not playing physical anymore. They’re switching one through five. He’s a pick-and-pop guy. He can shoot pretty good. He’s like a seven-foot-four Kevin Durant, so I think he can acclimate very, very quickly.”
The fact that he’ll be under Popovich in his first season makes Shaq believes this is the perfect scenario for Wembanyama.
“And he’s with the master,” the four-time NBA champion added. “Like, having a kid like that go to ‘The System’? [Whistles] That’s what I call the Spurs, ‘The System.’ Having a kid like that go to ‘The System,’ I think people better watch out.”
Over the past couple of months, Wembanyama has drawn a lot of attention to him. The young center is something to behold, and the people who first doubted him are now jumping on that wagon. O’Neal claimed that the young player would be dominated in his era, but the situation is different today.
Shaq, more than anybody, knows that the NBA has changed a lot since he first made it, and Wemby can take big advantage of that. We’ll have to sit and wait, but right now, everything points out that Wembanyama will mark an era in the league.
Shaquille O’Neal And Charles Barkley Casted Doubt On Victor Wembanyama’s Chances To Be Great In The NBA
There are still people who will need to see more from the overhyped prospect, including Charles Barkley. The Hall of Famer, just like Shaq, shared his concerns about Wembanyama dominating the league, claiming that he’ll need to prove that he’s really that special when he’s in the association, not before.
Unlike O’Neal, Barkley hasn’t changed his mind despite all the things Wembanyama has done in France. He was recently crowned the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Best Young Player of the LNB’s regular season.
Wembanyama is expected to become the next big thing in the NBA, and his value goes beyond the court, as he could add $500 million to the team that drafts him. The expectations are high for this one, but he hasn’t shown any doubts about how impactful he can be in the association.
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