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Victor Wembanyama is the chosen one.
The Frenchman is 7-foot-5, 210 pounds and plays the game as if he were a 6-foot-6 wings. Oh, and he also protects the rim as if he were prime Dikembe Mutombo.
Unicorns think the guy is a mythical creature.
That’s why the San Antonio Spurs wasted no time making him the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
San Antonio initially planned to rest their new superstar for the NBA Summer League after a long season with French team Metropolitans 92 stretched into June.
Instead, Wembanyama made his debut and struggled more than most expected. But it didn’t take long for him to turn things around. In his second Summer League appearance, Wembanyama put up 27 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks despite playing limited minutes.
He showed flashes of why fans expect him to be one of the faces of the NBA for the next decade plus.
There are concerns, however. Especially surrounding Wembanyama’s slight frame and how it would hold up against NBA competition.
The 19-year-old, however, isn’t concerned.
“The court is more open, it’s going fast, but it’s less physical,” Wembanyama said of the NBA game. “I get fouled a lot, but not as much. Here players are just flying [around], out there it’s more on the ground, pushing on the ground, big box outs. Here it’s great athletes, the best in the world, way more talent. But I like this better, though.”
That, of course, had some fans up in arms.
https://twitter.com/alex_marsico10/status/1679209773453963288?s=20
After 2 summer league games against NPCs btw https://t.co/qJLiDFmU19
— Tommy Gunn (@TommyGunnNBA) July 12, 2023
He played in 2 summer league games against dudes who are gonna be selling insurance in 5 years and the team had to shut him down for the rest of the summer. Sure, dude, sure. https://t.co/LPMCBhDw6y
— Chris (@Schaferrrr) July 12, 2023
Buddy hopped in 2 games against dudes who 97.3% aren’t even going to be on a NBA roster & says this lmao. https://t.co/ACfZEX4lbx
— Braxton B. 🦁 (@BraxtonHB29) July 13, 2023
The main contention was, rightly, that most Summer League players won’t be on NBA rosters this season
If Wembanyama is as good as advertised, he’ll likely be the target of a lot of hard fouls in the coming years. Only then will we have a true idea of just how well he holds up.