On Friday, April 21st, Victor Wembanyama declared for the 2023 NBA Draft. He was highly hyped up and called a generational talent – some even compared him to LeBron James and predicted Wembanyama to be a future NBA Hall of Famer. However, considering all the praise directed towards him before the season began, his performance so far is disappointing. Jackson Hurd 26’ encapsulated his play this season to be “not at an all-star level…but [people] had unreal expectations [for him].” So far, Wembanyama has averaged 19.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game; the 45th, 15th, and 6th best in the league, respectively. Fortunately for his fans and the San Antonio Spurs, Victor hasn’t missed a single game yet due to injury; unfortunately, said Spurs are currently last in the Western Conference with a less-than-stellar record of 2-14, who are on a 12-game loss streak. The 7-foot-4 center scored 38 points in San Antonio’s win against the Phoenix Suns on November 2nd.
Victor Wembenyama has been subject to head-to-head comparison with many players in the league – one interesting head-to-head is with him and fellow rookie center Chet Holmgren (who missed almost the entirety of his first season due to injury). Overall, Wembanyama “has the potential,” said Jackson, “but needs a little refining.” If Wembanyama is able to stay in relatively good health for the remainder of his career and is able to develop is few week spots his future is bright.
