Speaking to the media during NBA All-Star weekend, Kevin Durant revealed his thoughts on Spurs rookie, and rising star, Victor Wembanyama. After gushing about his potential as a player, Durant called himself lucky that he won't have to battle against him for too much longer.
"He can achieve anything he wants in this game, it's crazy," said Duran via Jerry Donatien. "He’s only getting more comfortable as time goes on… it's insane how dominant he's gonna be as he gets more comfortable with the game. Luckily, I’m on my way out, so I won’t have to deal with it too much. But you can see him settling in game after game and it's been a joy to watch."
At 35 years old, Kevin Durant only has a few more years left before he's out of the league and he won't have to worry about Wembanyama at all at that point. As for this season, as good as Wemby has been, the Spurs are currently dead last in the Western Conference and have virtually no shot at a play-in appearance this season.
By all accounts, the jury is still out on Vicor Wembamnyama and it will take some time before he has a chance to prove how good he is. This season, however, many are already convinced that he's going to be the next great superstar.
Through 49 games this season, Victor is averaging 20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 46.8% shooting. He's been a dominant force on both ends for a Spurs team that lacks any kind of depth or supporting talent.
While Kevin Durant and many other players are confident that Victor is the future of the league, he still has to prove that he's on that level by taking the Spurs where they haven't been since 2019: the NBA playoffs.
How Good Is Victor Wembanyama?
Drafted first overall in 2023, Wembanyama was a prospect that was hyped from day one. Coming off an MVP showing in Europe, Victor had the entire NBA world bracing for his arrival, and the process of starting his NBA career was a big story for much of the 2022-23 campaign.
By the time he joined the Spurs this summer, Victor was being hailed as the greatest prospect since LeBron James and the expectations were sky-high for the kind of compact he could make on the court. Over the first 49 games, Wembanyama has been excellent on both ends, particularly on defense, where he averages a league-high 3.2 blocks per game.
Victor narrowly missed the All-Star cut this season but he was among the top-10 leading vote-getters for the fans, ahead of some longtime fan favorites. At the end of the season, he will also get votes for Rookie of the Year, which is now a two-horse race between him and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren.
The ball is in Victor's court now and only he can determine how he lives up to superstar expectations. So far, Victor has passed every test given to him and he's on track to validate all the hype that surrounded him before the draft. But until the Spurs can win more than 25 games in a season, Webanyama will always fall below the top-level superstars like Durant, LeBron, and Stephen Curry -- who have all proven that they can win at the highest level.
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