VICTOR WEMBANYAMA IS THE MOST ANTICIPATED PLAYER SINCE ZION WILLIAMSON

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA IS THE MOST ANTICIPATED PLAYER SINCE ZION WILLIAMSON

Since the end of the 2022 season, the focus has not only been towards the 2022 draft class but the 2023 draft class.

Ever since the end of last season, multiple videos and highlights appeared of a young Frenchman by the name of Victor Wembanyama. The basketball sensation took social media by storm, as fans saw a 16 year old 7 foot 2 (218 cm) beat the former DPOY (Defensive Player Of the Year) Rudy Gobert getting cooked on a 1v1. Since then it's been clear the kid has potential, but what really impressed the media were his in game highlights, in addition to the under 19 world cup. This world cup saw the likes of Chet Holmgren getting dominated in the paint by the Frenchman, and just so you understand the height difference, Chet is 7 foot 1 or 216 cm tall, compared to Victor's 7 foot 5 frame (225 cm). The world cup saw Chet Holmgren and the USA team win the cup, but Wembanyama put an impression on the whole world and let us know that he is not messing around.

Wembanyma currently plays for the Metropolitans 92, a French club situated just outside of Paris, where he is currently dominating the league. Prior to the Metropolitans, Wembanyama played for ASVEL, coached by former Spurs and multiple time NBA champion Tony Parker. Unfortunately, ASVEL currently play in the French league and the Euroleague, meaning Wembanyama saw less minutes when playing continental games, but a move to Metropolitans changed everything. Since moving clubs, Victor has been able to improve his skills and deepen his background. At such a height it's hard to imagine anyone doing what Wembanyama does, as he can shoot from far, from the midrange, can dunk explosively, is a defensive threat as a rim protector, and can go iso with his shifty handles and footwork.

The last time a player was so anticipated was during Zion Williamson's 2019 draft class, as the player made social media go mad over his dunk and blocks over small kids, as he was already 108 kg and standing at 195 cm tall in high school. That's right, a 16 year old Zion the size of a full grown athlete was competing against small high school players, and of course it became a social media sensation. A few years later, the university of Duke picked him up on a scholarship, and the same thing happened again as Zion rampaged through college basketball at its highest level by dunking. It’s still hard to this day to explain how Zion can lift himself being not that tall for a forward, all while weighing so much. His explosiveness caught the attention of many recruiters, in fact most of them, but the Pelicans were the last to laugh as they were granted the 1st pick in the 2019 draft class.

The Wmebanyama fever is real, it's similar to Zion's popularity, but this time this player can play not just one position. He can bring the ball up, go iso, stay in the paint, and even play on the wings. Additionally, Victor Wembanyama can jump explosively, not as explosively as Zion, but that would just be unfair to other players.

Overall, Wembanyama is expected to go first in the 2023 draft class, and has seen many teams tank because of him. It will be a true exhibition seeing the Frenchman grow in the NBA with this amount of talent.