Though he isn't technically in the NBA just yet, Victor Wembanyama-Mania has already started to hit the association hard, with more than a few teams willing to risk it all Philadelphia 76ers-style in the hopes of securing the supremely talented French big man as the focal point of their franchise moving forward.
Unfortunately, Adam Silver is already planning to shut that down before it can get egregious, as he detailed to employees, as passed along by Baxter Holmes of ESPN.
“We put teams on notice,” Silver told employees. “We're going to be paying particular attention to the issue this year.”
Welp, you heard the man – tanking is off, sorry OKC, Houston, and every other team willing to parlay short-term losing for long-term success. Fortunately, Silver dug a little further into the topic and explained his reasoning.
![[NBA awards] Nikola Jokic next to Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Brunson, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F04%2F2024-NBA-awards-Official-picks-for-MVP-All-NBA-more-150x150.jpg&w=320&q=75)
“It's something we have to watch for. A draft is, in principle, a good system. But I get it, especially when there is a sense that a once-in-a-generation player is coming along, like we have this year,” Silver said. “Teams are smarter, they are creative, and they respond — we move, they move — so we're always looking to see whether there's yet a better system.”
Is Wembanyama a generational talent? Yes, though it's hard to project a player into the NBA without fail, his combination of size and skills is among the most impressive in recent memory. Even if Silver doesn't want to see teams lose on purpose, the prospect of getting that caliber of, um, prospect under contract for four years plus a rookie max contract extension is worth the risk.
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