Every season since the emergence of Latvian center Kristaps Porzingis, NBA execs, scouts, analysts and fans have attached the unicorn moniker to various big men with a rather unique combination of physical attributes and skillset. However, that term has become overused, leading people such as LeBron James — the NBA’s all-time leading scorer — to consider 7-foot-3 forward-center Victor Wembanyama to be more extraterrestrial than mythological in nature.
Playing for the Metropolitans 92 of the Betclic Elite League, Wembanyama is projected to be the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Even more than that, Wembanyama — or “Wemby” is now considered the best prospect since LeBron James by some.
Of course, similar to the use of the term unicorn, comparing projected NBA players to NBA greats is an overused tactic.
Just not in this case.
Discussing both his skillset and mindset with teams locking in on him ahead of the draft, Wemby tells Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo that he wants “to exceed the expectations.”
Already capable of doing pretty much anything on a basketball court, Wembanyama wanting to exceed the expectations of what people already believe could be one of the most impressive careers to date is almost like saying he wants to be in the conversation for the greatest player of all-time one day.
Not that he couldn't. Just imagine if Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was capable of doing many of the same things as Michael Jordan.
With that said, at his height, Wemby would truly be a one-of-one.
“I gotta diversify my skills even more so people don’t get bored,” the 19-year-old says.
“I can’t really take role models. Because when you’re 6'2″ [versus] 7'3″, it’s not the same sport. So, the way I want to play, I got to innovate and just create new things.”
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