The Victor Wembanyama scouting report is one of the best in NBA history. Wembanyama has garnered a lot of attention this season as he is the sure-fire pick to go first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Victor Wembanyama scouting report
Wembanyama is a 7’3”, 230-pound center from Le Chesnay, France. He has already played for the France Men’s National Team, scoring 20 points and adding nine rebounds in a World Cup qualifier game against Lithuania. With the Junior National Team, Wembanyama led France to a silver medal in the 2021 Under-19 FIBA World Cup while averaging more than five blocks per game.
What makes Wembanyama so intriguing and unique is the combination of his size and skill. The Wembanyama wingspan stretches out to almost eight feet, which makes him dominant on the defensive end of the court. Wembanyama currently plays for the Metropolitans 92 in the Betclic Elite league.
2022-23 season statistics
- 22.4 points per game
- 9.6 rebounds per game
- 3.1 blocks per game
- 2.2 assists per game
- 1.0 steals per game
Wembanyama has made a big jump in the French league from last season to this season. He is getting more than 32 minutes of playing time a game and is making the most of it.
Wembanyama has jumped from 9.4 points per game last season to 22.4 points per game while averaging 9.6 rebounds per game, which is up from 5.1 a season ago. He has also made some significant improvements at the free-throw line, shooting 81% from the line this season.
How good is Victor Wembanyama?
Victor Wembanyama is a once-in-a-generation prospect and is deserving of being one of the most hyped NBA Draft prospects of all time.
For a player of his size, it is expected for him to be slower on the court and his ball-handling skills to be weaker. Wembanyama actually excels in both of these categories, as he is able to run up and down the floor quickly and has great dribbling abilities.
He is also good at the stuff players his size should be good at. Wembanyama is an elite shot blocker, which he proved at the U19 FIBA World Cup against fellow top NBA prospects. Even if he doesn’t get a hand on the shot, his almost eight-foot wingspan applies a lot of pressure and will make players force up some tough shots.
Victor Wembanyama has drawn a lot of comparisons to NBA superstars in the game today. The one talked about the most is Kevin Durant. This comparison makes a ton of sense due to the similar body type and their abilities to rise up over their defenders for clean, unaffected jumpers. Wembanyama has said himself that he models his game after the Brooklyn Nets star.
Another obvious comparison is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who Wembanyama has also modeled his game after. Antetokounmpo was not as developed and skilled as Wembanyama coming into the draft, but his work ethic is something Wembanyama will want to look at in order to get bigger and stronger at the NBA level like Antetokounmpo has been able to do. Wembanyama already does a few things better than the Milwaukee Bucks superstar, which includes a better jump shot and 3-pointer, along with being more consistent at the free-throw line.
Areas to improve
Although he is one of the best prospects since LeBron James, there are some obvious areas where Wembanyama will have to develop to dominate in the best league in the world.
The one area he needs to work on the most is getting bigger and stronger. With his current skinny build, he will be taken advantage of on the defensive end by stronger centers.
Wembanyama currently averages 6.6 free throw attempts per game, which is half of what Antetokounmpo is averaging in the NBA. He will need to bulk up in order to be more dominant around the basket and get more foul calls.
Another weakness that ties into his need to get stronger is his shot selection. He is currently settling for tough jumpers and 3-pointers instead of being a strong 7’3” presence inside. His lack of aggressiveness is likely due to his strength, and because he isn’t a great 3-point shooter as of yet, he will need to find ways to get to the basket in the NBA.
A superstar in the making
The Victor Wembanyama stats show only so much, as he is doing stuff in France that has never been done in the NBA before.
We have seen big men dominate the NBA as of late, whether it’s been Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, or Joel Embiid. The difference with Wembanyama is that he is three to five inches taller than these superstars and is doing some things better than them already at just 19 years old.
There may be a few bumps in the road as Wembanyama adjusts to the NBA, but you cannot ignore the skills he already possesses for his age. Big men like him are not supposed to shoot as well as Wembanyama has been shooting it, and once he can knock down a consistent 3-pointer, there will not be much to do to stop him. He has also been attempting and making one-legged 3-point floaters as of late, which, if he were to make that shot consistently, would simply make him unguardable in the league.
When looking at the Victor Wembanyama scouting report, it is clear who is going to be the first overall pick on June 22 when the NBA Draft takes place. Wembanyama has a higher ceiling than any prospect that has ever entered the league and will receive all the attention leading up to his NBA debut.
