GOING INTO THE 2023 NBA DRAFT - VICTOR WEMBANYAMA HAS OFFICIALLY ARRIVED FOR THE DRAFT

GOING INTO THE 2023 NBA DRAFT - VICTOR WEMBANYAMA HAS OFFICIALLY ARRIVED FOR THE DRAFT

The Spurs have a lot going on starting Thursday June 22, 2023 in New York for the NBA Draft.

Since winning the lottery on May 17, 2023, and surely the rights to 7-5 inch, 235 pound French Phenom Victor Wembanyama, Spurs fans all over the world have been talking about him with a bunch of takes about what he can do for the San Antonio Spurs. He has supreme length(8-0(+7) Wingspan) combined with crazy skill, speed, and athleticism in a muscular Ectomorph frame that many basketball fans do not expect from someone so tall.

Most casual NBA Fans seem to think that people who are 7-3 are all slow-plodding players. For a long time, many NBA centers over 6-10 were guys who could be disruptive in the post by being physical. They simply were bigger than most and occupied space to their advantage and to the detriment of their opponents. These types of One-Dimensional players would have a hard time in today’s game. Many of these players, when it came to athleticism, couldn’t jump higher than a piece of toast. *Fun fact, in the early 90’s, I was part of a Rotisserie Basketball League and one required roster spot had to be from a list of players that specified “JUMPS NO HIGHER THAN A PIECE OF WHITE TOAST.” (Not literally but the list was made by Sports Illustrated Writers) During that time, my targeted players were Bill Laimbeer, Vlade Divac, Rony Seikaly, and Andrew Lang. All of them weren’t gifted with the type of athleticism that Victor Wembanyam has today. Not even close.

There are Internet videos in many languages that show the type of skills Wembanyama possesses. Step-back, Crossover, Behind-The-Back, Drop-Step and a bunch of other things we haven’t seen from someone this tall. I would be remiss to point out that at one time, 7-4 F-C Ralph Sampson had showcased a more limited skillset, in a similarly same type of frame. Who knows how good he could have been before he was beset by injuries. If one has to make a fair comparison of disruptive skills that affect both sides of the court, my mind can only think of these 3 players. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Tim Duncan. They had moves combined with supreme footwork and used their length to get open looks and anchor defenses but at 7-2, 6-10, and 6-11 respectively. The fact that Wembanyama is 7-5 seems ludicrous.

Wembanyama has all of those moves and not only can he work some in the low-post, he also can take it out to the arc and beyond. Did you know that at times, in his French junior league days at Nanterre, he would sometimes go Larry Bird and shoot 3’s with his dominant hand and make like 5 or so then shoot the next 5 with his off-hand? I am not saying he’s going to take a lot of 3's, however, taking them when he gets a chance in the natural flow of his team’s offense helps open up the inside for himself and his teammates. And well, he has a fluid shot. Being able to confidently shoot 3’s is a good tool to have in one’s bag. We all see how the 3-point shot worked for Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic.

It all starts this Thursday. Will you be watching the draft? I plan on being plugged into many internet feeds to get a pulse of our Spurs fan base as well as see how the rest of the league’s fans react to San Antonio's good fortune.

From The Eiffel Tower to The Empire State Building to The Tower Of The Americas...

Victor Wembanyama has landed for the NBA and the basketball world may soon shift its gaze towards the city of San Antonio.

If you’ve never intently watched his highlights, I have provided 1 YT link for your perusal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guJuSlTDeEA&ab_channel=NBA 1 Hour of Wembanyama from the NBA Official YT Channel