The most anticipated basketball player of the season: Who is Victor Wembanyama?

For some, he is the best rookie candidate since Luka Doncic, for others, since LeBron James... But there is only one thing we are sure of Nothing like Wemby has come yet. The 18-year-old Frenchman, who has a unique game type, promises great things. Because of this potential, he has already managed to attract the minds of NBA teams.

Victor Wembanyama will play for the San Antonio Spurs this season.

So what are the pros?

No disrespect to the rest of the squad – there are some really talented players – but all eyes will be on Wemby. It is eagerly awaited to see how his career will progress. You saw what he did in pre-season. If he achieves even half of that it will be incredible. Maybe there is an artificial intelligence simulation involved that we don't know about. He may be the person we watched the most on screen this year.

Victor Wembanyama (born 4 January 2004) is a French professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Considered one of the greatest basketball prospects of his generation, he was selected first overall by the Spurs in the 2023 NBA draft. With a listed height of 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 metres), Wembanyama is tied with Boban Marjanović as the tallest active NBA player.

Question mark: How much of a difference can Wemby make in top-flight competition? The current Spurs squad was very lackluster in most matches last season. Will young players feel relieved with the arrival of Wembanyama? We don't expect them to win many matches, but they must not be crushed like last season.

Prediction: Wembanyama remains in third place for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Strengths

The most prominent feature of Victor Wembanyama is his body length, as you can notice at a glance. The young center, who is 218 cm tall, also has an absurd wingspan of 237 cm. This length gives Wembanyama a great advantage, especially in defense. Since he can reach very high points when he jumps - even on his fingertips - he restricts the space of opponent attackers around the basket.

One of the most important elements of rim defense is length. Big men who fail in terms of body length are mostly inferior in terms of rim protection. But Wembanyama does not have such a problem, thanks to his god-given arms. Thanks to these arms, he can enter his opponent's area and disturb them.

The only thing I want to show in the above example is not the height that Wembanyama can reach. Of course, he is also very valuable, we see that he can easily get above the rim. However, at this point, jumping quickness and second jumping ability definitely make a difference. Rim defense isn't just about length. There are many determining factors such as timing, reaction speed, jumping ability, and game awareness. The center, born in 2004, has shown promising flashes in this respect so far.

It should also be noted that Wembanyama's defensive potential is not related to the painted area and around the rim. It's not like he doesn't get excited in perimeter defense either. We can say that the young star moves quite easily and is successful in body coordination compared to someone who is 218 cm tall. Of course, we should not expect the performance of Bam Adebayo and Draymond Green on the perimeter as they entered the league from Wemby. The names in question are those who are short compared to the pivot position and benefit from this in terms of quickness. Although Wembanyama is not at that level in Manning, he will not be someone who sinks into the paint like Gobert. It is a fact that he feels more comfortable moving his feet in a wide area.

All in all, the French player provides versatility potential thanks to his god-given qualities on the defensive side of the field, but it should also be noted that his comfort zone is around the rim. Let's take a look at the offensive side of things. Wemby has qualities that can make it different here too. He can do multiple things on the field.

First, his outside shooting potential sets him apart from almost everyone else. The ability of a 218 cm tall person to shoot both stationary and moving means that he can get a sufficient view from above you even if you show your hand. However, we cannot say that it poses a serious threat at the moment. However, Wembanyama is much more than a fixed-role player in attack. It is very important that he can hit the ball on the ground. He can create with the ball both in his face-down game and in his back game. He literally acts like a winger on the field.

He can also create a versatile threat through P&R on offense. While he can get out after the screen, he is long, athletic, and finishing enough to create a threat when he gets to the basket and attracts the attention of the defense. He has very good finger sensitivity, especially around the basket. Wemby's ability to reach high points allows him to always create an alley-oop threat in the painted area. The threat this verticality creates on the defense draws defenders onto it, allowing outside shooters to find more space. From what I've watched, he's not a bad passer in the short rollover, I must add that.

Overall, Wembanyama is a versatile offensive player. His combination of size and skill could make him unique in the NBA. Not only does he have offensive but also defensive potential at an elite level. Long story short, “wunderkind” Wemby may be one of the best two-way players in the NBA, and the most sought-after type of players in today's basketball are two-way players.

Weaknesses

When you first look at Wembanyama, the length isn't the only thing you notice. Its thinness also stands out directly. Of course, this power problem has negative repercussions. The most important of these is defense. A player attacking the rim with the ball can easily push Wembanyama and take him with him when he puts his load on his chest. Frankly, even if you hit the shoulder and create space for a layup, it restricts your space thanks to its length, but this lack of power can cause trouble. It even opens.

He is sloppy against contact not only defensively but also offensively. When he gets hit while attacking the rim, he can get out of his line and get shaken. He may have problems with his physicality, especially in the NBA. When he encounters physical defenders, he hesitates to go to the basket, which leads him to force shots from longer distances. The advantage of length can turn into a disadvantage against physicality. If this problem continues in the NBA, it will cause problems for scoring.

Another problem is foul trouble. Body structure also has an effect here, this cannot be denied. Wemby, who committed 2.2 fouls in 17.5 minutes in the EuroLeague, committed 2.5 fouls in 18.4 minutes in the French League. He easily commits a foul because he falls apart against contact, cannot maintain his verticality, and lowers his arms. That's why he can't stay on the field. If he wants to play for 30 minutes, he must find a solution to this problem.

One of the question marks about Wembanyama is injuries and competition. Wemby, who has not been able to play in many matches in ASVEL due to injury, portrays an image that is vulnerable to injuries due to his physique. However, the young star, who will play in Paris next season, will not appear in any European Cup. It is obvious that the French League is a mediocre league. The fact that Wembanyama will not step into the European arena in the draft year and will have to settle for the French League can be a big minus for him.