Victor Wembanyama has lived up to the incredible expectations of his rookie season, proving to everyone that he is a transcendent generational talent. Despite that, the No. 1 overall pick for last year's Draft is humble enough to know his performances aren't perfect. He openly told ESPN's Marc J. Spears that he'd happily go to play and learn in the G League if he's not doing the right things at the NBA level.
“I like to be coached and sent to the G League if I don’t play the right way.”
It's highly unlikely that the Spurs will assign Wemby to the G League at any point this season unless he gets hurt and rehabs his injury with the G League squad. Wemby has averaged 9.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.2 blocks so far this season, with many considering him the favorite for Rookie of the Year over Chet Holmgren.
Wembanyama has impressed with what he can do on the court, but he's yet to find the key behind winning NBA games. Wemby's Spurs are the worst team in the West, with a record of 7-32. Holmgren and the Thunder are on the verge of becoming the No. 1 seed, so there are clearly many areas that Wemby can still develop his game in.
Victor Wembanyama Is Unlike Anything We've Seen Before
Many people name other 7-footers who can stretch the floor whenever Wembanyama's skill set is brought up. Obviously, Holmgren is a very comparable example, as the OKC Thunder center is averaging 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 blocks on fewer touches than Wembanyama. Both of these players are going to have an incredible Rookie of the Year race, but Wemby is still more talented, given the handles and dribbling he is capable of at 7'4".
Wembanyama and Holmgren had played of their ilk in the NBA before, with Kristaps Porzingis being a fair comparison. Young Porzingis and Holmgren are really similar with their emphasis on shot-blocking and three-point shooting. But even Porzingis didn't have the kind of greenlight players like Holmgren and Wembanyama are playing with nowadays.
Holmgren is comparable to Wembanyama but we're going to see both achieve different things. Wembanyama's ability to bring the ball up the floor and play with a guard's mentality at 7'4" is incredibly rare. He's been developing his passing as the season has gone on but that is still a work in progress, especially with no real point guards on the Spurs roster to help Wemby. He was once called an alien by LeBron James.
The Spurs center will likely line the NBA history books with his name if he can stay healthy consistently in his career. He has the right attitude and has been a dominant force in the NBA as a rookie, opening up endless possibilities for what he could achieve in the future.
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