If you're a basketball fan, Tuesday night was an exciting glimpse into the future as projected first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft Victor Wembanyama put in absolute work in Las Vegas against the G-League Ignite, scoring 37 points, blocking five shots, and draining seven triples. ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony, who has been scouting talent across the globe for a long time, made a very interesting comparison on Wednesday when talking about Wembanyama, saying he's basically Kevin Durant and Rudy Gobert combined. Scary.
“Think Kevin Durant meets Rudy Gobert. 7 foot 4, eight-feet wingspan, only 18 years old, can handle the ball, create his own shot, play pick n roll, go get his own 1-on-1, shoot coming off screens, off step backs, protects the rim, blocks threes, dunks everything. Honestly, I've never seen a prospect like Victor Wembanyama in my life, last night was one of the most fun nights I've had as a talent evaluator, NBA executives were absolutely smitten with him, they were talking out of that arena with a huge smile on their face.”
The thought of Gobert and KD put together in one player is frightening. But, that's basically what Wembanyama is. He showcased a complete skill set on Tuesday, scoring at all three levels and using his ridiculous wingspan to disrupt a ton of shots and dominate on the boards.
A lot of NBA executives are hoping that Victor Wembanyama will shut it down until the draft so he doesn't risk injury, but the big man's agent made it very clear that his client will continue to play and work on getting better. That's what competitors do.
The future is very bright for this kid.