If you don’t know the name Victor Wembanyama, it’s worth leaving everything to be more informed about the 16-year-old Frenchman, who is 7 feet 3 inches tall.
Wembanyama was recently described as “perhaps the most productive hope in the world” through Mike Schmitz on ESPN’s Brian Windhorst podcast. Array has been in discussion since his appearance as a guest player of FC Barcelona in the Spanish Minicup U14, his great length will continue to attract attention as he continues to grow.
“If you’re not in the five most sensible of your draft when you get out, then I’m going to be very shocked. Because it’s different from everything I’ve noticed before,” 29-year-old wing Taylor Smith, who played with Wembanya for Nanterre outdoors in Paris, told HoopsHype.
Jason Filippi, a longtime foreign scout with 19 years of NBA experience, trusted HoopsHype, who doesn’t exaggerate.
“It’s fair to say it’s the next big news in Europe.” Filippi said. “The child is only 16 years old. You can’t put your decision in the NBA draft until 2022 or 2023. It’s a future generational skill like Luka Doncic. I’m not saying I’m going to be smart at Doncic. But it is. the most productive player in his age organization and I think if he were eligible for next year’s draw would be a lottery choice and the most productive European hope.”
The 16-year-old burst onto the scene, impressing scouts and stat enthusiasts from the Euro U16 A Championship in 2019. Although it was a year younger than all the other players who participated, it was considered the highest expected hope of competition.
He averaged 13.7 points, 14.6 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 2.3 steals every 36 minutes in the seven games. He recorded 21 rebounds opposed to Croatia on 14 August and also played five games with at least five blocks in the tournament. The big guy led all participants in blocks (37) and defensive victory actions (0.9) while also boasting the third most productive player power score (34.5). France won the silver medal and won the team honors all tournaments.
“He works hard, his perspective is through the roof,” Smith continued. “You can shoot, dribble, drive. You know, it’s like Porzingis. But Porzingis wasn’t cared like him. He was taken care of. And he plays defense like Rudy Gobert.”
The difference with Wembanyama is that it has a much more varied skill set than Gobert, which plays more commonly around the inner basket for screen games and diving and balloons.
For example, it has a remarkable IQ and box vision, as well as its length and position. Look at the unfed pass that throws from the pole to your teammate open in the corner for three.
“He’s a very, very intelligent smuggler. This can be an underestimated skill,” Filippi said. “His ability to pass is excellent, top notch. He sees the terrain very well from his point of view of 7 feet 3 inches. It already has a well-evolved feel for the game.”
Wembanyama looks comfortable on the top and bottom post, though his footwork was applauded at the low post. You can face or put the ball on the deck. Despite its size, you can also rely on it to run the floor with or without the ball in the transition.
Dallas Moore, a 25-year-old goalkeeper who also played alongside Wembanyama for Nanterre, also spoke to HoopsHype. Moore told us that even though the junior team’s players exercise before or after their team, Wembanyama had more problems than the others.
“He’s a smart kid, he laughs,” Moore said. “When he practiced with us, you might see that he was very intelligent at his height and age. You can dribble, shoot. He can do anything. Being so big and also young and having on-call skills is a little crazy.”
The awards were a success and he began writing history with his opportunities. Wembanyama made his Euro debut at the age of 15, nine months and 25 days. This makes it the youngest moment of all time and the youngest since Stefan Pekovic in 2007, according to Sportando.
“It’s a big problem,” HoopsHype told the 28-year-old tip Devin Oliver, who also played for Nanterre. “We gave up. Applaud. That’s great. It’s a great time. Especially now, it’s starting to get recognized. People are going to start to understand. You know how social media is. He feels like a wildfire.”
It was also fair, given the productivity he had shown for his junior club team. He averaged 20.1 points, 15.3 rebounds, 7.7 blocks and 3.5 steals consisting of 36 minutes at the Kaunas 2020 tournament (ANGT), although he was two years younger than the other players.
Wembanyama recorded the tournament’s 24-block highest in all four games. In fact, he recorded more blocks (9) in a game than the next peak productive player (8) of the tournament. It was the maximum ever recorded in a single setting of the Kaunas tournament.
The non-slip rim coverage and bounce rate are not really a marvel for someone of their size, their instincts and responsiveness are considered elite.
But the fact that he’s even willing to move beyond the arc at this level of his progression makes him an incredibly fashionable candidate for the league. Note the height of your shooting output in the video above; It will be difficult for the NBA’s longest player to block his shots on the perimeter.
“You can throw the ball very well, ” said Moore. “I think his jump shot was exceptional to be so big and so young and not know what he’s doing yet. You can shoot the ball. Mid-range, you can remove some boats from the bounce and shoot. He can catch and shoot from three o’clock.
In general, connecting beyond the arc during games has not been one of its strengths. However, he had an 82.4% discount on the free launch line at the Kaunas tournament. This suggests that his touch is forged and that there is an explanation for why in the progression of his shot, which is herbal of his hands.
The wonderful thing comes from a circle of relatives of athletes as his older sister, Eve Yema Wembanyama, also plays basketball in France. His father is an athlete, participating in the top jump. His mother played professional basketball and played an active role in his development.
“Their mother and father, I knew them. They were wonderful people,” Oliver said. “His mother told me to push him a little. Make it a little more aggressive.”
Smith said tenacity is precisely what Wembanyama wants to succeed at the next level: “If you can become a little more aggressive, you will be a monster.”
While our data suggests that he is an intelligent student, lately he is likely to play school basketball as a component of his inevitable path to the NBA. Most likely he signed a professional contract at the age of 18.
The projected situation is that he remains in Nanterre, earning more playing time and education completely with his professional team than with the junior team. Although it would possibly be suitable for each and every game, one would expect him to participate basically in the French League or in foreign cups.
“He has a chance to be good,” Moore added. “It’s going to be special. If he realizes how big he is and gets harder and starts soaking up everything, I think he’s going to be a monster. The top five picks in the draft.”
The craziest component is that, even if Wembanyama has a mild figure, it can gain weight naturally and grow with age since you are 16 years old.
“It needs to be great, I can see that,” Smith added. “He’s like Kevin Durant. I feel like it’s going to be like KD. It’s probably not as big as Gobert. But when KD came out, he was skinny. So don’t even worry about his strength. Your game will go crazy. Unicorn multiplied by 10. »