2023 NBA draft:
Meet Victor Wembanyama, the best prospect since LeBron James, projected to go No. 1 next year
NEW YORK — The 2022 NBA draft was top heavy with Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith, but none of them compare to what’s coming next year with the 7-foot-3 phenom out of France, Victor Wembanyama. Oklahoma City might have landed a great prospect in Holmgren, but the tanking will continue for one more year. The Thunder and multiple other teams are already eyeing the franchise-changing, generational talent Wembanyama for the 2023 NBA draft.
The 18-year-old point-forward plays like no one else in the world with his staggering size and frame he continues to grow into, along with his 7-foot-9 wingspan (some say it’s 7-foot-10). To see him take players off the dribble and step into 3-pointers from Stephen Curry range defies everything you would ever expect from a young player with his size. He’s most noticeable on the defensive end as a rim protector and effectively guarding wings off the pick-and-roll switch. Think Rudy Gobert mixed with Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis. That’s what Wembanyama is projected to be. If you think that comp is too outrageous, then how about a larger Giannis Antetokounmpo without any weaknesses.
Seriously. He’s that good.