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hot take, maybe too hot for this forum
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
Scoot or bust imo.
No, Gradey or bust. Just for the memes. Especially for when timvp does his game grades next year.
2/10
wtf? 9/10. What else are we going to talk about until he plays Sunday? another starting 5 thread? should we sign Van Fleet or not?
Van Fleet still remember him talking about the Spurs when they won with KY.
Didn't someone say we should trade with Charlotte because they already have LaMelo and need a big man lol
terrible movie
Especially the part where Costner miraculously and heroically finesses Seattle’s GM into trading like 3 years worth of entire draft picks + a player for a QB they could’ve had in the first place. So dumb.
he got more for, what, the #6 overall pick than he gave for the #1 overall pick?Especially the part where Costner miraculously and heroically finesses Seattle’s GM into trading like 3 years worth of entire draft picks + a player for a QB they could’ve had in the first place
and then at the end of the movie they celebrate that they drafted a freaking RB at #7 overall
imo it is canon that bo callahan went on to have a hall of fame career and costner's character got fired within 2 years
I personally enjoy the Jags GM trading away the #6 pick for like three 2nd rounders when Costner gets 3 years of firsts for the same pick like 5mins later
Already has bad blood with TP. A bad sign. Imagine the haul of picks Spurs could get for this unproven player. Do it Brian!
tbh not too different than some of these ideas of giving Keldon and the CHA pick for #2I personally enjoy the Jags GM trading away the #6 pick for like three 2nd rounders when Costner gets 3 years of firsts for the same pick like 5mins later
dude went through a lot of effort to have us believe him
an hour away from the pick. really hope they go with victor
This is gold the OP wrote an entire genuine dissertation on the topic!
Well duh. It is the Browns, after all.he got more for, what, the #6 overall pick than he gave for the #1 overall pick?
and then at the end of the movie they celebrate that they drafted a freaking RB at #7 overall
imo it is canon that bo callahan went on to have a hall of fame career and costner's character got fired within 2 years
I called it
I know you had it in you!
Tapiefan called it 2 years ago
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