Victor Wembanyama is the evolution of basketball personified. But evolution needs a catalyst. Of course, Wembanyama’s genes play a big role, but decades earlier he might have been Frederic Weis. Weis was the first French center whose name is etched in the memory of American basketball fans. But for all the wrong reasons. Vince Carter’s jumping dunk at the Sydney Olympics against the 7-foot-2 first-round pick of the Knicks (15th overall) in 1999 echoed around the world, but especially in his native France. The Weis name has become synonymous with posterization and French hoopers have been saddled with the sweet tag ever since.
The arc of the sports universe must lean towards the joke because Wembanyama is an American reward for what Vinsanity did to Frédéric Weis. Once LeBron James and Steph Curry quit, the game is in good hands, but not from american hands. Nikola Jokic, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are phenomenal, but none of them was considered the best player in their respective drafts. The first generational phenomenon in two decades is a French teenager.
As an individual talent, Wilt Chamberlain dominated the ’60s, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dominated the ’70s as he crossed paths with Jordan’s rise, and 19 years passed between Michael Jordan and LeBron’s NBA debut. Wembanyama flying like a highly touted Cities of Boulogne-Levallois 92 draft hope and departure as a megastar 20 years after LeBron flexed his crushing grown man game against No. 1 Oak Hill in one of the first ESPN high school basketball showcases, was long overdue.
Wembanyama’s deployment was flawless. In both competitions against the G League Ignite, Wembanyama silenced any doubters by recording 36.5 points, 7.5 boards, 4.5 blocks and made 50% of his 18 attempts from downtown. These 4.5 blocks cannot be overlooked either. Wembanyama is so nimble and long that, unlike compatriot Rudy Gobert, he won’t be uncomfortable stepping out to defend on the perimeter. The team drafting Wembanyama will not only be difficult to mark in the paint, but may have a dome built on the side of the ground where Wembanyama is located. In an age when teams value space, his defensive instincts paired with an 8-foot wingspan are a space killer. If he continues to fill out, he could be the most dominant defensive chess piece in league history.
Wembanyama is the generational phenom NBA circles have been waiting to enter the NBA Draft. Had he been pushed into the 2003 draft, there’s a 50% chance he would have been the top prospect instead of King James, depending on who the draft was. LeBron’s otherworldly athleticism packed into a chiseled 6-foot-8 frame filled with the ground-breaking vision of a point forward was a paradigm shift and matched the direction the game was heading. And obviously knowing what we know gives LeBron a significant advantage, but Wembanyama is beyond unicorn. He’s a phenom and a basketball kaiju.
What separates Wembanyama from LeBron is his insane measurements and dexterity for such a great athlete. Countless unicorn athletes with unconventional skills have entered the NBA ecosphere over the past 20 years. Over the past decade, the greats have started stretching the floor to take advantage of the increased emphasis on 3-point shooting. Wembanyama is not only an effective shooter, he can take 29 footers from the dribble, casually drain a lean from the dribble from the right corner or he drives and finishes over the edge.
Fill his space and Wembanyama can blow after some set up dribble combos. Look what he did to poor Leonard Miller. Would you believe me if I told you that the pipsqueak that smelled like Wembanyama’s moldy armpits was 6 foot 10?
An international player has never had the game in a bottleneck like this. And for the foreseeable future, Wembanyama won’t let go.
