There's Not Enough Hype In The World For How Good Victor Wembanyama Is
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog with a tongue in cheek headline that every time Wemby steps on the floor, he makes NBA history. Even if that's not technically true, it sure as shit feels like it is because after every Spurs game I feel like we get some sort of NBA stats tweet that tells us we just watched something either never done before in NBA history, or something that hasn't been done in like 50+ years.
You know, sort of like what we got after Wemby's historic 33/15/7/7 performance last night against the Nets
I don't care if I've already written this same blog a dozen times this season, by now you should know the drill. If you do something historic on an NBA court, I'm in. You're getting your flowers. Maybe that's Daniel Gafford making 33 straight FGM or maybe that's Wemby doing something we haven't seen since Kareem and Hakeem
I'm sorry, but you do something that puts you in a sentence with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon, that's a pretty big deal. Only two of the greatest big men in the history of the NBA. The thing is, it gets even better when it comes to Wemby. How about doing something that we've never seen in the history of the NBA? Pick an NBA great, they've never done this
Again, this is the worst Wemby is ever going to be. That is as terrifying as terrifying gets. Imagine what he looks like after only 2-3 years in the NBA, still years away from his NBA prime if this is already what he's doing as a rookie? Imagine how things look once the Spurs put even an ounce of NBA talent around him? What do they look like if they give Wemby a real point guard, like Trae Young?
I'll tell you what that means, it means that if you are a team that has hopes of winning a title, you better hurry the hell up and get it done because Wemby is going to be a very big problem before you know it. I'm not sure what other conclusion you could arrive at when as a rookie, he's legitimately making NBA history every time he steps on the floor. It remains ridiculous how even with all the hype that Wemby had entering the draft, he somehow has exceeded it for me. He's WAY better than I thought he would be in Year 1, and remember when everyone thought he'd just get pushed around and bullied by NBA big men?
Uhhh, nope. It's actually Wemby who does the bullying.
The 15-53 record is also basically the only thing keeping Wemby from being the DPOY this season too, which isn't entirely his fault when you look at that Spurs roster. But I don't think it's crazy to suggest with some moves this summer, the Spurs could be flirting with the Play In territory, and then by Year 3 or 4? With the LeBron/Steph/KDs of the world aging out?
We could be looking at a top 5 player in the league, and that might even be a little low.