spurraider21
05-18-2023, 01:43 PM
I know, I know. A player at his height and that frail screams injury, and we just saw what happened with Chet. And yes, overseas players don't always translate. For every Doncic, there's a Ntilikina. There's also the elephant in the room we've seen these "unicorns" before, these tall shooters, mainly from overseas, come and go and not meet expectations. whether it be Bargnani, Pokusevski, Bender, and even Porzingis (who has become a good NBA player, but hasn't been the league defining player some people thought he'd be, and has also suffered the same injuries that could plague Wemby).
But hear me out. Despite all the obvious red flags that have caused Wembaynama to fall out of #1 overall consideration, I still think Pop/Wright/Buford should at least do their due diligence on the kid because there are some traits that you frankly can't ignore.
First, the guy appears to have incredible character. One of the reasons Samanic (oh look, another tall European shooting big with "guard skills") failed is because he lacked the inner fire to get better and compete. By all accounts, Wemby is completely driven to become the best player possible. He come from a family of pros, and has already been a pro for several years. From things like nutrition, to his impressive pre-game stretch regimen, he's clearly not just a guy who will show up and haphazardly try to have a good game.
His game is also more complete than a lot of the other "unicorns." Some of these guys are basically called unicorns because they are tall and can shoot threes. Wembanyama is far more than a shooter. In fact, shooting isn't even the strength of his game right now. He only hit about 30% of his threes this past season, which frankly is a bad number. You might say this is another reason not to draft him, but I don't really think you would draft a 7'4 player just to have him camp out behind the 3 point line and launch a bunch of spot up 3's. You don't need a 7'4 guy to do that. Wembanyama's ability to score facing up, or with his back to the basket, with an array of moves and finishes with either hand is what makes him unguardable. With his ridiculous 8 foot wingspan, I don't think defenders can even contemplate the kind of finishes he's able of executing, so often times, people just don't know how to feasibly contest some of his shots. The outside shooting is just a cherry on top. While his efficiency isn't there yet, his form and mechanics are as smooth as can be, and the degree of difficulty on the average 3 pointer in the NBA will be a lot easier than what he was forcing up in Europe.
I could go on, but the last point I'll make here is his defense. Yes, he will probably get bullied by some bulkier players early in his career. We saw that fat Kenny Lofton bully Chet Holmgren in summer league or preseason, whatever that was. I'm sure Wemby will have those moments too. But he likely won't be asked to play center anyway. Unlike some of these guys like Porzingis who theoretically looked like they can be good rim protectors, Wemby has already shown that by being an elite shotblocker overseas. On a per minute basis, his shotblocking both in league and tournament play has already shown to be elite. Even if he doesn't come out the gate as a great man defender, his help defense should already be impactful even at the NBA level. If a tree like Tacko Fall can average 4-5 blocks per 36, Wembanyama should be able to thrive as well.
tl;dr, i think people are writing off Wembanyama, but there is a lot more than meets the eye
please keep the discourse civil
But hear me out. Despite all the obvious red flags that have caused Wembaynama to fall out of #1 overall consideration, I still think Pop/Wright/Buford should at least do their due diligence on the kid because there are some traits that you frankly can't ignore.
First, the guy appears to have incredible character. One of the reasons Samanic (oh look, another tall European shooting big with "guard skills") failed is because he lacked the inner fire to get better and compete. By all accounts, Wemby is completely driven to become the best player possible. He come from a family of pros, and has already been a pro for several years. From things like nutrition, to his impressive pre-game stretch regimen, he's clearly not just a guy who will show up and haphazardly try to have a good game.
His game is also more complete than a lot of the other "unicorns." Some of these guys are basically called unicorns because they are tall and can shoot threes. Wembanyama is far more than a shooter. In fact, shooting isn't even the strength of his game right now. He only hit about 30% of his threes this past season, which frankly is a bad number. You might say this is another reason not to draft him, but I don't really think you would draft a 7'4 player just to have him camp out behind the 3 point line and launch a bunch of spot up 3's. You don't need a 7'4 guy to do that. Wembanyama's ability to score facing up, or with his back to the basket, with an array of moves and finishes with either hand is what makes him unguardable. With his ridiculous 8 foot wingspan, I don't think defenders can even contemplate the kind of finishes he's able of executing, so often times, people just don't know how to feasibly contest some of his shots. The outside shooting is just a cherry on top. While his efficiency isn't there yet, his form and mechanics are as smooth as can be, and the degree of difficulty on the average 3 pointer in the NBA will be a lot easier than what he was forcing up in Europe.
I could go on, but the last point I'll make here is his defense. Yes, he will probably get bullied by some bulkier players early in his career. We saw that fat Kenny Lofton bully Chet Holmgren in summer league or preseason, whatever that was. I'm sure Wemby will have those moments too. But he likely won't be asked to play center anyway. Unlike some of these guys like Porzingis who theoretically looked like they can be good rim protectors, Wemby has already shown that by being an elite shotblocker overseas. On a per minute basis, his shotblocking both in league and tournament play has already shown to be elite. Even if he doesn't come out the gate as a great man defender, his help defense should already be impactful even at the NBA level. If a tree like Tacko Fall can average 4-5 blocks per 36, Wembanyama should be able to thrive as well.
tl;dr, i think people are writing off Wembanyama, but there is a lot more than meets the eye
please keep the discourse civil