What if the OKC Thunder land Victor Wembanyama after the NBA Draft Lottery?

Victor Wembanyama is a Generational Talent and has few weaknesses. 

By now, everyone knows about Victor Wembanyama. There have been countless ways to describe the 7’2 big man, but we are still determining how tall the 19-year-old is.

Strengths: 

According to Synergy, Victor Wembanyama ranks in the 81st percentile of overall offense. He is listed as good in transition, very good in the half court, very good after timeouts, and against man defense, he dominates to the tune of 1.012 points per possession.

On post-ups, Victor Wembanyama ranks in the 63rd percentile. However, as a pick-and-roll man, that number jumps to the 72nd percentile and off screens while putting up nearly a point per possession in isolation.

The beauty of Victor Wembanyama is that you can use him any way you want to. He can create for himself, he can shoot over the top of defenders (shooting 47 percent true shooting on guarded catch-and-shoot jumpers), and he can thrive at the rim (89th percentile).

Offensively, he can shoot, pass, score at all three levels, rebound, and put back his own missed three-pointer. He instantly is an impactful player in this league and can be a unicorn big man you build an offense around.

Defensively, he is a shot-blocking machine. While the raw numbers will go down due to the different rules from FIBA to the NBA, his timing, reach, and leaping ability will allow him to protect the rim.

Defending in the pick-and-roll, Victor Wembanyama ranks in the 55th percentile, leaping up to the 88th percentile on post-ups and 95th percentile when defending on an island in isolation.

Adding this stretch big to anchor any defense and help produce on offense is why every team is sweating NBA Draft Lottery night. Even with less than a two percent chance of happening, the fact it could happen is enough to get any front office excited.

Weaknesses: 

Sure, his frame is a concern at 19 years old, though there is room to fill out. However, I also am not a believe in players being bad or unable to handle the NBA due to being “too skinny.”

Just like any other player in the world, from Zion Williamson, Chris Paul, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Yao Ming, Joel Embiid, and Blake Griffin, injuries either happen, or they don’t. Those are all varying body types that have had injuries or not throughout their careers.

None of us are equipped with the knowledge of if a player will get hurt or not. So we will say, “he is too skinny, going to get killed!” and either he gets hurt, and we take a victory lap, or he stays healthy, and we never circle back to the prediction.

Like most of us, no one will have the perfect body. However, the same player held up as one of the guys that will “kill” Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama, Joel Embiid, has never been able to stay healthy for an entire season in his career.

Injuries suck; they can happen to anyone, and there is no way to predict them. The concern is not that he is skinny; the concern is typically seven footers who have a high usage rate do not last longer than a decade. But there are always exceptions to rules.

As much as he claims he isn’t, Kevin Durant is a seven-footer who has played 14 seasons and counting while only missing one due to injury. An Achilles injury that has also hit the likes of Kobe Bryant, Brandon Clarke, Chauncey Billups, Anderson Varejao, and DeMarcus Cousins, to name a few.

There is no injury on the planet a player will get simply because they are too skinny. There is no player in the league that will literally lower their shoulder and send Victor Wembanyama  (or Chet Holmgren) flying into the 300 level, never to be seen again. It just does not happen.

Looking funny or different is not a reason to throw out all the strengths of a player’s game or assume it will not translate.