Richard Jefferson may be friends with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, but even the one-time champ couldn't deny the overwhelming talent that Victor Wembanyama possesses compared to LeBron before he was drafted.
Wembanyama is the most anticipated prospect since James in 2003, so comparisons between the two players are not surprising to see. Similar to LeBron heading to his draft, the Frenchman is the consensus no. 1 pick and no other player even comes close.
Jefferson, however, believes Wembanyama is a way better player and prospect than James when he was the same age. In fact, the former NBA forward went as far as to saying that LeBron would go no. 2 if he's in the same draft as Victor.
“If LeBron James, at that exact moment, showed up, Victor [Wembanyama] would go higher than him… LeBron James would go No. 2 if he was the exact same age in the exact same draft,” Jefferson shared.
LeBron James is a generational talent, and he has proved that with an incredible career that has now spanned two decades. Nonetheless, it's not hard to see where Richard Jefferson is coming from. NBA fans and experts alive have really never seen a prospect quite like Victor Wembanyama before.
At 7-foot-4, Wemabnayama was supposed to be slow and easy to beat by faster opponents. But that is not the case, as the 18-year-old is really mobile and moves gracefully for his size. Not to mention that he has incredible blocking instincts and a smooth shooting stroke that allows him to space the floor really well.
He is a nightmare matchup for any opponent, and even James himself was in awe of the Wembanyama after seeing him play.
"If LeBron James, at that exact moment, showed up, Victor [Wembanyama] would go higher than him… LeBron James would go No. 2 if he was the exact same age in the exact same draft."@Rjeff24 on LeBron and Wembanyama 🤔pic.twitter.com/u8Es2ApUrJ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 7, 2022
“Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years. But he’s more like an alien,” LeBron said of Wembanyama recently. “No one has ever seen anyone as tall as he is, but as fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor… His ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot step-back jumpers out of the post, step-back threes, catch-and-shoot threes, block shots. He’s for sure a generational talent and, hopefully, he continues to stay healthy.”
Wembanyama has a lot more to do to reach LeBron's level, but clealry, he is on the right track.
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