There is little information about how the NBA will stop Victor Wembanyama because it’s only August.
To sum up, the No. 1 pick by the San Antonio Spurs is 7 feet 4 inches tall, has an 8-foot reach, and has outstanding ball skills that many guards would envy. This week was the start of his first NBA preseason. Chet Holmgren, another long freak, was his first opponent in a show, and he scored 20 points.
On Friday, against the defending Eastern Conference winner Miami Heat, Wembanyama played in his second preseason game. Wembanyama made the game worth the ticket price, even though the Heat didn’t play their starters.
Ultimately, the rookie scored 23 points (10 of 15 shots), grabbed four rebounds, gave four assists, and blocked three shots. However, those numbers don’t show how often Wembanyama made plays that seemed to bend reality.
While the Spurs won 120-104, Wembanyama quickly put together this Top 5.
Victor Wembanyama brings up things that don’t seem real.
A two-on-one fast break ends with Wembanyama Euro-stepping from the 3-point line for a disputed dunk. This is an ordinary play for him so far.
Wembanyama jumps across the paint to block Haywood Highsmith’s short jumper. Highsmith thought he lost the Frenchman when Dru Smith drove into the paint, so he missed the shot.
If you can reach almost 10 feet from standing, it’s easy to dunk. It should be challenging for Wembanyama to cross over a defender on the perimeter, step back, and hit a fadeaway jumper from the elbow, but it might be easy for him.
How is a defender going to stop this? This is a serious question.
This is the next thing. During a give-and-go, Wembanyama passes the ball to Tre Jones and then runs from the 3-point line to catch the lob in the air and make an alley-oop from a seemingly impossible distance.
Alright, one more dunk. Let’s see Wembanyama jump straight up from outside the restricted area and then use his length to reach over and dunk the ball with his left hand.
This is what Wembanyama is going to make seem normal. There has never been a player in the NBA with his size and skills, and that will make the Spurs an exciting team to watch for a long time.
