He hit four three-pointers (in 22 attempts) and shot 78 percent from the foul line. Despite playing two years up in competition, Wembanyama dominated the gold medal game and significantly outplayed Holmgren, a projected top pick in 2022 who is 20 months older than him.įor the tournament, Wembanyama averaged 14 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.7 blocks per game. Wembanyama put all of his talent on display during France loss to the United States in the FIBA U-19 World Cup over the summer.

He should be a dynamic lob threat from day one because of his length and ability to quickly get off the floor, and his game will only blossom from there. Offensively, Wembanyama has flashed both shooting range and tough shot-making touch. All of it makes him a potentially generational defender. Wembanyama plays with a non-stop motor, has tremendous instincts as a shot blocker, and can move his feet in space. Wembanyama will be one of the tallest and longest players in the NBA from the moment he’s drafted at 7’3 with a 7’9 wingspan. There is almost no doubt Wembanyama would be the top pick in the upcoming 2022 draft if he was old enough to enter. Victor Wembanyama was called “the world’s most intriguing NBA prospect” by ESPN, and he has both the production and the physical tools to back up the claim.

The best long-term NBA prospect in the world is a 17-year-old center from France with a Rudy Gobert-like wingspan, shooting range out to the three-point line, and the upside to be one of the defining athletes of his generation. Victor Wembanyama is being hailed as one of the best center prospects ever We have a few reasons 2023 could go down as one of the better classes of the modern era.

What makes the 2023 draft potentially special? Glad you asked. For as talented as all three are, the class that comes after it still feels like it has even more star-power. Each player fits into the current NBA trends and has the ability to push the game forward if they hit their highest outcomes. Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, and Auburn’s Jabari Smith have emerged as a rock solid top-three. Yes, the 2022 NBA Draft class is still to come and features plenty of intriguing prospects in its own right. The 2023 NBA Draft looks like that type of class. Most of the time, though, a draft class is declared special when it has one or two superstars at the top who are so good even the league’s worst run franchises have a tough time messing it up. There’s also an argument based around depth, that any great draft class needs to have ready-made contributors to be found throughout the first round and into the second round. What’s the best way to evaluate the overall strength of an NBA draft class? To some, it’s about having blue chip talents stacked through the lottery.

Final draft 9 features