Tanking is not an issue in the NBA

Ever since the end of last season, a Frenchman named Victor Wembanyama has taken over the media as a basketball sensation. The 7 foot 4 player has been dubbed the next best thing ever since LeBron joined the league in 2003. Wemabnyama can drive, jump, pass, and shoot the ball like a guard besides him being taller than most pro basketball players. On top of that he has a deep bag of deals that are currently breaking the French league.

Victor Wembanyama is what we call a unicorn, the same as Chet Holmgren was dubbed when he joined the league last season. Unfortunately, Chet Holmgren has been out with a foot injury before the start of the season, so will be starting his rookie year next season.

In order to talk about taking in the NBA, we need to understand the effect of drafting a generational player.

So why are NBA teams so excited by the French prospect if there's already Chet Holmgren? Holmgren had a great run with Gonzaga, who put up numbers like 19 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocks in one game. Having a college ball player in the NBA with that amount of talent is great for team work, as colleges focus more on team success than on the individual. So Chet can shoot, he can jump, he can move like Kobe, AND he can defend the ball, which is no surprise at that height. That's what a unicorn is, a tall player who can do it on both ends of the court. Having such a player can change a franchise from zeros to heroes in a couple of years.

For example, when LeBron got drafted, the Cavs went from barely making the playoffs, if even, to making the NBA Finals in 2007. Merely 3 seasons later and LeBron turned the organization around into an actual contender for a championship. But now instead of athleticism, add height, a lot of it even, and you get Wembanyama. Now Wembanyama is offensively equivalent to Dirk Nowitzki and Kyrie Irving with a deep dunk bag, while