Victor Wembanyama Mega-Thread - For all your Wembanyama needs!

[Pachinko_]

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Incredibly, both the video and the statline in the thumbnail of the video are both missing the point LOL
The point being the rest of his numbers ie 3 blocks 2 steals and countless altered shots that missed, which is probably the main reason his team was even close against a far superior team in Monaco.

But yeah that's probably going to be the story next year, people saying "haha I told you he can't shoot like KD", and just miss the point of Wemby completely

He will be a defensive monster who can add a lot on offense, and most importantly is capable and willing to play for the team, look for the open man and operate within a system. Spurs are gonna love that guy. A few things to work on of course, but also a tonne to work with. He has a lot from both Gobert, Duncan and Dirk in his game but he's not exactly any of those guys.

[HotelVitale]

Hot take:
He will never reach the levels of peak Jokic or peak Luka offensively.

This is a pretty lukewarm take considering those guys are like the top two offensive players in the NBA currently. So saying Wemby won't be the best or second best offensive player in the league isn't really a hot take. But he will be far and away more impactful on the defensive end than they could ever hope of being.

Yeah people are running with the hype way too much if you actually think he’s a shoe-in to be a top 3 offensive player. He’s clearly more a guaranteed terrific defender who also has all the potential in the world on offense but no clear NBA game yet. That’s still an an amazing draft pick who deserves the (informed) hype he’s received, but it’s not doing anyone any favors to make him a legit Superman who is going to single handedly destroy the league. Still just a tall skinny human with a lot of impressive things but also plenty of things that aren’t instantly dominant. Enjoy him for that and don’t ruin the whole experience with wacky expectations that no one informed about him is actually setting.

[Exp0sed]

nobody thinks his realistic ceiling is a top 3 offensive player in the league, that's propestrous
since he's never played an NBA game yet and he's so young and has already improved so much in relatively short time - i'm not gonna say it's outside the realm of possibilty but literally no1 thinks that's a realstic option. not now and not in his prime

if he'll be the best defensive player in the league while being above average on offense - that's already the best player in the league

he modeled his offensive game from a young age to skills that would translate well to the NBA and that decision will reap dividends. just like other young European players before him - the scoring part will be easier in the NBA
him scoring 19 in a tight playoff game, on good efficiency in Europe vs. a superior team tells me we will see him score 30 from time to time (especially on those nights his 3 is falling)

if u have a guy averaging 21/12/4 on good efficiency and is the best rim protector in the league who is also mobile and ridicilously long, which means he will be effective guarding on the perimeter (probably like no other current player in the league) - that's insane

when this dude closes out in your direction, you can't halfass it - after getting their jumpshots stuffed, this guy will alter shots not just inside but outside as well

I mean, look at how much damage Jokic just did from the 3 pt line just by being able to knock down open, rythm shots from the top of the key

Wemby will need to hit certain shots consistently and all indications are that he'll be able to
couple that with being able to (somehwat) pass and put the ball on the floor - that's alot of great options

no1 is expecting him to be the best in the league at driving and putting the ball on the floor
but the fact that it could be an above average offensive play and that it'll be hard to defend against as he can hit stepbacks, pop, roll, get his shot off in the post against (and over) anyone - that's a hard mix to defend

no1 is expecting him to have one dominant offensive skill akin to what a guy like Jokic can do from the post
but some of the guys he's been compared to (say...Gobert) can't even catch a damn basketball, or make any kind of ranged jumpshots let alone put the ball on the floor

Gobert's entire offense is on the roll and off putbacks and Wemby should have that type of offense from day 1
but he also actually has moves, a good shooting form and moves incredibly for a guy his size

he won't be hitting stepback 3's at a high clip on the regular, he's not that type of marskman..but the fact that he has that shot (and others) in his arsenal (for say, a late clock grenade thrown at him or after a broken offensive play) - that's huge

him being able to hit (doesn't have to be at some elite efficiency just a good one) those baseline fadeways or foul line jumpshots etc - that's huge, cause those shots are unblockable
it's all about him getting to where he wants and starting his sequence

he has alot of options and the hype is real and justified

he will not be the best offensive player in the league or anything close to it and that's a-ok

[damanick10]

Wemby looks great. He has improved a lot each game against them.

[remi_222]

end of season for wemby ! 22pts, 7 reb, 4 blocks and a couple of nice assists ! Nice run this season but Monaco is way better ! Amazing season for him !!!!!

[Castle Black]

Glad Mets92 lost. Gives Wemby an opportunity to rest for a week and prepare for the NBA Draft. His team stinks and it was frustrating watching them play these games. He was their only saving grace. But thankfully that’s over. Now it’s time for him to dawn the Silver & Black.

Wemby, you are a Spur.

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[WillyJakkz]

Glad Mets92 lost. Gives Wemby an opportunity to rest for a week and prepare for the NBA Draft. His team stinks and it was frustrating watching them play these games. He was their only saving grace. But now it’s time for him to dawn the Silver & Black.

Wemby, you are a Spur.

Read on Twitter

Yeah it's like that was an everlasting season for him. Glad it's done because he certainly played far more basketball than his fellow draftees adding more wear n tear on his body than them

[manlisten]

Glad Mets92 lost. Gives Wemby an opportunity to rest for a week and prepare for the NBA Draft. His team stinks and it was frustrating watching them play these games. He was their only saving grace. But now it’s time for him to dawn the Silver & Black.

Wemby, you are a Spur.

Read on Twitter

Yeah it's like that was an everlasting season for him. Glad it's done because he certainly played far more basketball than his fellow draftees adding more wear n tear on his body than them

His team played 44 games in 9 months.

[Kineto]

ASVEL was only a much better opponent in theory. They are the worst team in the EuroLeague, and they played the series without their two of their best players, in Joffrey Lauvern and Nando de Colo, who despite being well past his prime, is still their best player by leaps and bounds.

So the worst team in EuroLeague, minus two key players and their best player, actually meant ASVEL wasn't that different of a team. Maybe just slight favorites, if that. If ASVEL would have had De Colo, they would have 100% swept the series against the Mets, but they didn't have him.

Monaco is an entirely different situation. It's got its key players available, and it also isn't the worst team in EuroLeague like ASVEL is. It's actually a good EuroLeague team. So we are talking way higher competition than a injury ASVEL team.

The reality is Wemby probably would have averaged something like 8 and 5, or in that general type of numbers range, if he played in EuroLeague this season. That's why it's obvious that him and his agents knew they could pad his stats on a team like Metropolitan, and that was also just playing in the Pro A. The obvious reality is that the vast majority of NBA teams and scouts still don't seem to understand the differences in different European leagues and teams - it was very clear from how they talked about Luka before the draft, that they still don't seem to understand the differences in levels of competition between the NCAA versus some European national league, like France's Pro A, versus some second tier European league, like the EuroCup, versus the actual EuroLeague.

So why stay in EuroLeague, if all the NBA will just do is actually penalize you for it? Since they look at it as no different than any random European national league, or even NCAA DI, in terms of the level of the competition. Wemby might be going number 3 in the draft like Luka did, if he stayed in EuroLeague. That's how ridiculous the NBA scouting of Europe is. It really was a good move by Wemby to leave ASVEL and go play just in Pro A, on a team that would just left him do whatever he wants for the most part. If he was having games like this in EuroLeague, the NBA "talent experts" would be questioning him, since "he didn't play against the vastly superior NCAA athletes", just like the nonsense they said about Luka.

Wemby's stats after 3 games against Monaco (Top 4 EL team)
16.3 pts / 7 rbd / 2.6 assist / 3 blk

Small sample size of course, and he was playing as the #1 option in his team, but he was supposed to be the #1 option in the ASVEL as well if he had chosen to stay with them this year (not sure if this is 100% true, but it's what Tony Parker said when Wemby chose to leave to go to the Mets92).

[Pachinko_]

Glad Mets92 lost. Gives Wemby an opportunity to rest for a week and prepare for the NBA Draft.

Why, does it take a lot of preparation to sit down and eat pop corn while waiting for his name to be called?

[_jin]

ASVEL was only a much better opponent in theory. They are the worst team in the EuroLeague, and they played the series without their two of their best players, in Joffrey Lauvern and Nando de Colo, who despite being well past his prime, is still their best player by leaps and bounds.

So the worst team in EuroLeague, minus two key players and their best player, actually meant ASVEL wasn't that different of a team. Maybe just slight favorites, if that. If ASVEL would have had De Colo, they would have 100% swept the series against the Mets, but they didn't have him.

Monaco is an entirely different situation. It's got its key players available, and it also isn't the worst team in EuroLeague like ASVEL is. It's actually a good EuroLeague team. So we are talking way higher competition than a injury ASVEL team.

The reality is Wemby probably would have averaged something like 8 and 5, or in that general type of numbers range, if he played in EuroLeague this season. That's why it's obvious that him and his agents knew they could pad his stats on a team like Metropolitan, and that was also just playing in the Pro A. The obvious reality is that the vast majority of NBA teams and scouts still don't seem to understand the differences in different European leagues and teams - it was very clear from how they talked about Luka before the draft, that they still don't seem to understand the differences in levels of competition between the NCAA versus some European national league, like France's Pro A, versus some second tier European league, like the EuroCup, versus the actual EuroLeague.

So why stay in EuroLeague, if all the NBA will just do is actually penalize you for it? Since they look at it as no different than any random European national league, or even NCAA DI, in terms of the level of the competition. Wemby might be going number 3 in the draft like Luka did, if he stayed in EuroLeague. That's how ridiculous the NBA scouting of Europe is. It really was a good move by Wemby to leave ASVEL and go play just in Pro A, on a team that would just left him do whatever he wants for the most part. If he was having games like this in EuroLeague, the NBA "talent experts" would be questioning him, since "he didn't play against the vastly superior NCAA athletes", just like the nonsense they said about Luka.

Wemby's stats after 3 games against Monaco (Top 4 EL team)
16.3 pts / 7 rbd / 2.6 assist / 3 blk

Small sample size of course, and he was playing as the #1 option in his team, but he was supposed to be the #1 option in the ASVEL as well if he had chosen to stay with them this year (not sure if this is 100% true, but it's what Tony Parker said when Wemby chose to leave to go to the Mets92).

He wouldn't have been the #1 option on ASVEL, I love TP but it's easy to say that after the guy is gone. He was playing 18mins a game last season so it was probably hard for him to believe he'd be #1 there. Also the main point is ASVEL is an ambitious team that want to win and Wemby wanted to develop, they just happened to win.
And while Mirotic12 is exaggerating with 8 and 5 in Euroleague (he had 7 and 4 in 18mins last season so he could have easily had 15 and 8 with decent playing time), I agree with him that playing in the Euroleague wouldnt have helped him improve his stock, it's a very different style of play where players like Wemby dont really shine. For those who dont watch euroleague, I think watching a bit of Sasha Vezenkov would be enough to understand some of the big differences in the way the game is played.

[_jin]

Glad Mets92 lost. Gives Wemby an opportunity to rest for a week and prepare for the NBA Draft. His team stinks and it was frustrating watching them play these games. He was their only saving grace. But now it’s time for him to dawn the Silver & Black.

Wemby, you are a Spur.

Read on Twitter

Yeah it's like that was an everlasting season for him. Glad it's done because he certainly played far more basketball than his fellow draftees adding more wear n tear on his body than them

His team played 44 games in 9 months.

He played bit more than that, there were those exhibition games in Vegas, the french cup games, the leaders cup game, and he also played for the french national team. He probably played 50 or so games at 32mins average which is a very long season for a 19yo.

[Mirotic12]

Wemby's stats after 3 games against Monaco (Top 4 EL team)
16.3 pts / 7 rbd / 2.6 assist / 3 blk

Small sample size of course, and he was playing as the #1 option in his team, but he was supposed to be the #1 option in the ASVEL as well if he had chosen to stay with them this year (not sure if this is 100% true, but it's what Tony Parker said when Wemby chose to leave to go to the Mets92).

Even in a team like ASVEL (worst team in EuroLeague) there is zero chance he would have numbers anyywhere near that. Unlike the Mets, those EuroLeague teams are not one player teams. They have all kinds of good offensive players, shooters, and scorers. There is zero chance he would have those numbers in any EuroLeague team this season.

Maybe in a couple years, but not now. Luka's career high in EuroLeague was 16.0 and he was a point guard, that had the ball and the offense in his hands whenever he wanted it.

Wemby In EuroLeague this season would have probably averaged around 8-10 points and 5-6 rebounds, with something like 12 points and 6 rebounds being at the upper possibility. 16 and 7 would be absolutely out of the question.

But it's EuroLeague - way, way higher level than NCAA DI, way, way higher level than G-League, and it's rules and reffing actually emphasize defense and physical play, as compared to the NBA, which has basically outright banned both. So such numbers, as even 8 and 5, for a 19 year old kid, would be fantastic.

Giannis averaged 10 and 5 in the Greek 2nd Division, at 18.
Giannis averaged 8 and 8 in the FIBA European Under-20 Championship (basically something like European version of NCAA Tourmament), at 18.

Both of those levels are many miles lower than the EuroLeague level.

[Castle Black]

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[UcanUwill]

Yeah it's like that was an everlasting season for him. Glad it's done because he certainly played far more basketball than his fellow draftees adding more wear n tear on his body than them

His team played 44 games in 9 months.

He played bit more than that, there were those exhibition games in Vegas, the french cup games, the leaders cup game, and he also played for the french national team. He probably played 50 or so games at 32mins average which is a very long season for a 19yo.

So, I am assume he is not playing in the World cup? It is expected, but what do you guys think, maybe he will show up?

[_jin]

His team played 44 games in 9 months.

He played bit more than that, there were those exhibition games in Vegas, the french cup games, the leaders cup game, and he also played for the french national team. He probably played 50 or so games at 32mins average which is a very long season for a 19yo.

So, I am assume he is not playing in the World cup? It is expected, but what do you guys think, maybe he will show up?

If I had to bet I'd say he goes. He's very competitive and always made it clear that the national team was important for him. I'm sure he wants to go but he's also smart and has made the right decisions for himself so far, and if the national team and Spurs staff think he shouldn't go, I think he won't. But since it's the Spurs and not another org I'd think they'd be happy to let him go and develop some more.

[Lefty20]

His team played 44 games in 9 months.

He played bit more than that, there were those exhibition games in Vegas, the french cup games, the leaders cup game, and he also played for the french national team. He probably played 50 or so games at 32mins average which is a very long season for a 19yo.

So, I am assume he is not playing in the World cup? It is expected, but what do you guys think, maybe he will show up?

He is slated to suit up for France, barring any injuries.

I doubt we see him take the floor in the Summer League.

[Bornstellar]

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[GeorgeSears]

Wemby is probably an all-star as a rookie and probably good enough to lead the Spurs to the 10th seed playin, if they get can get another decent player to join him. They have the cap space.

[UcanUwill]

Which one of you is this?
And man, I would much rather see him in WC than SUmmer league, that is disappointing if he goes to States instead of East this summer.