Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shares ‘intimidating’ Victor Wembanyama moment that he had never seen before

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope comments on playing against Victor Wembanyama

Caldwell-Pope has explained what it is really like to face Wembanyama, especially as a below-average-height NBA player.

KCP recalled a game with the Denver Nuggets two seasons ago where Wembanyama blocked his three-point shot from close to the free-throw line.

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“Playing against him is almost intimidating” he said. “I was in Denver [when he was drafted], and he came off a screen and switched onto me.

“He was below the three-point line, and I crossed over and shot the ball, and he blocked the shot. He wasn’t in the paint, but he was by the free-throw line. He just jumped and blocked the shot.

“I thought it got past him, and I was looking for the ball; he went the other way. It was probably the freakiest s— I’ve ever seen. It was almost intimidating.”

Caldwell-Pope will experience playing against Wemby again when the Memphis Grizzlies travel to San Antonio for an NBA Cup game on Tuesday.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope names Victor Wembanyama in top five defenders

Caldwell-Pope’s co-host asked him to name the five best defenders in the NBA today, and Wembanyama’s name was, of course, mentioned.

KCP could not settle on a top five, but he listed Herb Jones, Alex Caruso, and Wemby as the three standout defenders at the moment.

“Herb Jones. [Alex] Caruso, for sure. I’ve got to put Caruso in there,” answered the Grizzlies guard. “I’d have to know who’s in the conversation to give you a top five because I know they’re talking about more than five people.

“The people I can think of are Wemby, Caruso… being in the right place at the right time. I feel like Caruso beat me out when we were on the Lakers. It seemed like he was always there at the right time.

“Wemby is just all-around amazing. He can switch onto guards as a seven-footer. He has great coverage speed and can pretty much touch anything at the rim. It’s so much harder to get over Wemby.”