From the moment a leap to the NBA was imminent for generational prospect Victor Wembanyama, the hype surrounding the young Frenchman was almost second to none. Talent evaluators raved about Wembanyama's impressive skillset for the physical tools that he had. Standing at 7'4 with an 8'0 wingspan, Wembanyama's shot-creating potential combined with his Defensive Player of the Year-esque defensive instincts made him such a tantalizing prospect, all of which have been on display for Gregg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs during preseason.

There are always expectations that come with being the first overall pick of the NBA Draft. Surely two of the greatest Spurs of all-time, David Robinson and Tim Duncan, also drew rave reviews during their time, hailed by many as potential franchise saviors at the time of their entry into the league. But Gregg Popovich is right in that there may be no other prospect more hyped up than LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama have been.

“This guy has had that hype for so long, kind of like LeBron did. I compare him more to LeBron than [David Robinson and Tim Duncan] in that respect,” Popovich said, per Tom Orsborn of San Antonio Express-News.

Now, it's not always easy for a player as young as Wembanyama is to deal with the attention that comes with the hype surrounding him. After all, the Spurs rookie has shown glimpses of his incredible potential as a two-way force in preseason; imagine how great he'll be once he has a few NBA seasons under his belt. And similar to LeBron James, Wembanyama may just deliver on all the buzz he has drawn thus far.

Back when James was still in high school, he was already being called “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated; imagine how much louder the fanfare surrounding him could have been if social media was as ubiquitous back then as it is now.

At the very least, Gregg Popovich is seeing that the prized Spurs rookie knows how to deal with all the expectations, which bodes well for his future as a star in the NBA.

“[I was trying to] protect him more…but I found out very early talking to him that he kind of looked at me like, ‘Why is this guy telling me all this stuff?' Like, he already knows it, he has been through it,” Popovich added.