Rockets: Victor Wembanyama is ecstatic Houston didn't land no. 1 pick

Victor Wembanyama celebrated the Rockets' lottery misfortune, pumping his fist when Houston landed the 4th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft.

For a few minutes, the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, and San Antonio Spurs all believed that drafting Victor Wembanyama — essentially guaranteeing a franchise turnaround if he pans out like many think he would — was within their grasp. However, reality quickly struck the Rockets, as deputy commissioner Mark Tatum first pulled out the envelope with the Rockets' logo on it.

That in and of itself will be crushing for a team that has barely improved through the first three years of their rebuild. But Wembanyama's reaction to the Rockets' misfortune will stick the knife even deeper into their gushing wound all the while twisting it vociferously.

Immediately after Mark Tatum announced that the Rockets had secured the fourth pick, cameras caught Victor Wembanyama in a celebratory mood. Wembanyama let out a huge smile as he pumped his fist emphatically, much to the greater heartbreak of Rockets fans all over the world.

Watch Victor

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— Andrew Schlecht (@AndrewKSchlecht) May 17, 2023

It's not too difficult to understand why Victor Wembanyama would look at the Rockets as a less-than-ideal destination with his development as a player as well as his future championship hopes in mind.

The Rockets' rebuild, to this point, hasn't quite borne fruit just yet, with the focal points of their rebuild such as Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Jabari Smith Jr. not quite developing as well as they hope. Meanwhile, the Rockets' ownership, through the tail-end of their contending days with James Harden, weren't exactly keen on paying the luxury tax.

Beyond Victor Wembanyama's purported aversion to landing with the Rockets, it has become evident that he has a preferred destination in mind. And as luck would have it, Wembanyama, barring an unexpected development, will be landing with the Spurs. The Spurs have a huge following in France, thanks to Tony Parker, and it certainly helps that the Spurs' infrastructure makes his development into a future star that much more likely.

At the end of the day, Wembanyama would have turned the fortunes of any prospective NBA Draft Lottery winner. But now, given how things have turned out, Wembanyama would be all the more motivated to hit the ground running from day one.