The NBA World turns their sights to Vegas over this past week as the NBA put together a fantastic exhibition event that saw the projected top overall pick Victor Wembanyama face off with the projected second overall pick Scoot Henderson of the G-League Ignite. Debuting their new home hardwood in Nevada, the Ignite put together a great event that left NBA fans, executives, and media excited about the 2023 NBA Draft Class.
OKC Thunder expects to be in the mix for the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. TI profiles the generational prospect and his potential fit with the organization
Sam Presti and the OKC Thunder have to be salivating at the idea of adding Victor Wembanyama to the roster. The projected number one pick dominated the two-game showcase between G-League Ignite and Metropolis 92, lighting up the courts to the tune of 37 and 38-point performances. He’s fully captured the attention of basketball fans around the world.
The 7’4 phenom put on a show, burning defenses with his array of shot-making. His fluid movement with the ball in his hand, coming off screens, and smooth shooting mechanics are nothing the world of basketball has ever seen.
Defensively, he is just as good, deterring drives, blocking shots, and showing exceptional footwork to stay with small players on the perimeter. He understands angles and how to maximize his eight-foot wingspan, clogging passing lanes to intercept passes.
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, this sets up an interesting scenario of potentially pairing Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama together down low.
Strengths
Fluidity and Athletic Ability
Most seven-footers lumber up and down the court, often struggling to assimilate to their size and move fluidly. However, Wembanyama moves effortlessly with and without the ball. He runs upright with soft feet and he understands how to move laterally with great control.
Wembanyama mentioned in an interview that his Father taught him the correct way to run and credits a lot of his fluidity to those early principles. Seven-footers are usually heavy-footed with a lumbering action.
Additionally, Wenbanyama shuffles his feet laterally extremely well and distributes his weight evenly. In the Under-19 final against Team USA, the 18-year-old dominated inside and outside, often staying with guards and forwards on the perimeter by shuffling his feet and overwhelming big men. Similar to Holmgren, Wembanyama has also mastered the ability to absorb contact, keep his balance, and swat shots. If he is faked out, he is springy with a fast second jump to recover.
Shooting Ability
It’s extremely rare to find seven-footers that shoot the ball from three-point range with beautiful mechanics. Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant immediately come to mind with Karl Antony-Towns worthy of an honorary mention. Aside from Durant, Wembanyama sets himself apart by being able to shoot off screens, relocate, and pull up from deep.
In the showcase versus Ignite, Wembanyama caught fire from distance. His release point is impossible to block. For his club team, Wembanyama is only shooting 33% from three but they play a more physical brand of basketball with less space. In two exhibition games against Ignite, Wembanyama scored 73 points on 22-44 shooting including 9-18 from three.
Let’s take a look at his weaknesses.
Weaknesses
Weight
I don’t consider this to be a huge weakness considering his age but Wembanyama will need to put on some weight. He’s listed at 7’4, 210 pounds which is a solid start for an 18-year-old still developing. For reference, Rudy Gobert was 7’1, and 215 pounds at the same age so there’s plenty of optimism that he can fill out his frame.
With the rules softening over the years, the physicality has largely been taken out of the game but the best centers in the NBA like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are both 270 pounds plus, so he might find some trouble in the post. However, he has done quite well against big men in Europe who play with just as much physicality.
Still, adding 20-25 pounds would go a long way for Wembanyama.
Back to the Basket Game
This is debatable whether he will really need this trait but if there is a weakness in Wembanyama’s offensive game is when his back is to the basket. While he exhibits strength, he struggles to generate power when he’s attempting to back down smaller players. This is also due to how tall he is and the lack of leverage he can take advantage of but it is a point of interest.
There aren’t many players who play like this these days. Wembanyama is largely a face-up player and makes moves to shoot over defenders. He will likely not need a back-to-the-basket game but it could still use improvement.
Victor Wembanyama’s Potenital Fit with the OKC Thunder
The OKC Thunder are building a team based on ball handling, size, and length thus Wembanayama fits the franchise’s mantra. Josh Giddey (6’9), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6’6), Chet Holmgren (7’1), Jalen Williams (6’5), Aleksej Pokusevski (7’0), and Ousmane Dieng (6’10) are all oversized at their positions. Wembanyama’s 7’4 stature matches what the franchise is trying to do.
In terms of line-ups, Wembanyama would unlock the OKC Thunder’s ability to deploy a jumbo line-up of:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Josh Giddey
- Ousmane Dieng
- Chet Holmgren
- Victor Wembanyama
When healthy, the OKC Thunder are fantastic defensively, adding him to the mix would make this unit even more difficult to score on.
Offensively, Holmgren and Wembanayama’s ability to shoot the ball from three would largely negate some of the struggles for Giddey at the moment. It would be a cheat code, creating space on the floor for star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the process.
The idea of adding Wembanayama to this core group would send ripples throughout the league. His combination of size and skill added to oversized creators already present would give opposing teams nightmares.
If the Thunder can land the number one overall pick through the NBA Draft Lottery, it would unleash a new era of basketball in Bricktown, including an easy pathway to contending for titles.