Congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs, as they are projected to land arguably the highest rated and highly touted prospect in NBA history, Victor Wombanyama. I am not prepared to go to the extent of consecrating Voz”Perhaps the greatest prospect in the history of team sports“But still, viewers, analysts, players and the basketball world at large believe he has the tools to become a generational talent.”
However, in fantasy terms, when is the right time to draft Wembey in 2023-24? He has been the most talked about player ever since (and rightfully so). Lebron James in 2003. But, before I give my initial thoughts on where Wembey should be cast in fiction, who Is Victor Vembanyama?
19 year old is french a problem, a big problem — and it's coming from two-time MVP and former NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo. I debated Wembey's comps with a friend and concluded that he is an NBA 2K “Create-a-Player”.
When it comes down to it, I can't help but look like a jumper kid Kevin Durant, defensive reverse of Anthony Davis and Giannis' work ethic. when he gets selected on draft night, He will be the tallest active player in the league And also sport one of the longest wings.
It's pretty much a fantasy basketball cyborg, code name: Unfair. And he'll be wreaking havoc on the fantasy basketball world early next season.
He is a center forward in height but plays like a modern day forward. He also has a versatile bag; Not only is he athletic and rangy, but he can handle the ball like a guard, has good footwork in the post, can shoot from distance and can finish with contact.
He finished his final season in France's top professional basketball league, LNB Pro A (or Betclic Élite), with 21.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 3PM, 0.7 steals, 3.0 blocks and 2.6 turnovers per game 47/28/ . 81st Shooting Division. Oh, and he's the youngest LNB MVP in league history:
he definitely passes the eye test But I do see some areas of risk for Wembey right out of the gate. The physicality of the NBA will be a big adjustment in Year 1. Here he is being given the body in the post.
I suspect he won't play much center against the traditional giants, but he'll need to hit the weight room if he's going to have an impact near the rim. His agility will help him take advantage of mismatches even if he is bullied but with the added physicality, will his efficiency hold up?
compare Kevin Durant One hell of comp, but Durant and other long shooting big guys like Kristaps Porzingis And dirk nowitzki All shot less than 43% from the field in their rookie campaigns. This is another adjustment that will come from experience and rep. LNB Pro A is not NBA, so even though he shot 47% from the field, I expected some regression during the transition to the NBA. It's promising that he's not afraid to blow it from beyond the arc, averaging more than five 3-point attempts per game this past season, but knocking them down at just a 28% clip is concerning.
But we must remember, he is only 19 and he is bound to hit a rookie wall at some point.
So given the allure and anticipation of the French phenom, where should he be drafted? Here's a history of notable first-overall picks and where they ended up in per-game value for the 9-cat league (data courtesy of Basketball Monsters).
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2003 – LeBron James – 47
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2008 – Derrick rose – 125
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2009 – Blake Griffin – 83
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2010 – John Wall -100
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2011 – Kyrie irving – 38
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2012 – Anthony Davis – 25
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2014 – Andrew Wiggins -131
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2015 – Karl-Anthony Towns – 12
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2016 – Ben Simmons – 51
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2018 – Deandre Ayton – 33
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2019 – Zion Williamson – 192
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2020 – Anthony Edwards – 119
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2021 – Cade Cunningham – 106
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2022 – Paolo Banchero – 211
I singled out several other players who didn't do well in their rookie seasons, but only one player in the past 20 years has finished in the top 12 in per-game value as a first-overall pick: Karl-Anthony Towns. There is undoubtedly a lot of pressure and expectation with being the No. 1 pick; Landing location, position and role within the system all play into a player's success.
Based on Wemby's physical attributes, skill set and production (within limited time), I think a top-40 player is a reasonable expectation – meaning he should be drafted in the first three rounds of fantasy in '23-24. should be done. I'm putting him not as high as KAT or AD but more in Aiton territory in terms of year 1 performance. His upside in blocks must make up for his drop in efficiency.
But, given the hype train, you'd be likely to go within the first two rounds to grab the highly-hyped French prospect. With San Antonio's rich history of developing domestic and international talent, basketball enthusiasts should be excited for Wembey's future in this league. The Spurs are currently without franchise-altering options on their roster, making Wembey's potential destination that much sweeter for fantasy. He should be a starter on day one and also an early-round pick for Fantasy.