On paper, it was just a gala match, but in reality, we had the impression that it was the basketball event of the year in the United States.
Difficult indeed to miss: in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the American public discovered closely Victor Wembanyana for the first time, in the room at Henderson or on television on ESPN.
A before and after Las Vegas?
Uninhibited, the young French pivot delivered an XXL performance, flaunting an incredible size/skills almost hypnotizing, to afford 37 points (11/20), 4 rebounds and 5 blocks. Even to the point that LeBron James called him an extraterrestrial!
The ice now broken and his gigantic potential now confirmed on the imposing scene across the Atlantic, Victor Wembanyama is officially the ultimate Grail in the sphere of the NBA Draft.
Almost unanimously expected in first place in 2023, even if Scoot Henderson has not necessarily said his last word, even more after his “show” in Las Vegas, “Wemby” has all the NBA scouts at his feet, and could then well take, without really wanting it, the “tanking” to its climax.
” Victor distorts the reality of basketball » declared for ESPN an anonymous GM. ” The tanking strategy will enter a new dimension after this performance. We have the feeling that he will trigger an unprecedented race to the bottom ” he added, before daring a comparison so dear to the media sphere of the NBA: ” It’s a 2m20 Kevin Durant who blocks shots, and who hasn’t even touched the peak of his potential. He is going to be the most anticipated and publicized player since LeBron. »
His agent refuses to put him in the “fridge” for the season
Despite this resounding first outing in the land of Uncle Sam, Victor Wembanyama still has an entire season to play, and therefore a status of top prospect of the 2023 Draft to maintain on the ground for several more months, before turning to good towards the NBA chapter.
In any case, this is what his agent Bouna Ndiaye recalls, who calms those who advise him to end the young prodigy’s season prematurely, so as not to risk an injury or a fall in his rating.
” We came here to expose Victor, and more importantly to show him what the next 15 years of his career will look like, in terms of managing expectations and attention. he told ESPN. ” Some voices in the NBA advise me to stop everything for this season: it’s the last thing we will do. If we offer him this option, he will send us for a ride. He wants to play and keep improving. […] This tour is a step in his apprenticeship. In the next game, he might miss. He still has to learn to be consistent. Repeating your scales, progressing, learning, that’s our mantra. »
