The instant impact of superstar Victor Wembanyama is hardly a surprise but being tipped this early as a potential GOAT seems bold.
Wembanyama was selected as the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs and his rookie season certainly lived up to the hype as he was named rookie of the year.
He averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in his debut season, he was certainly no shrinking violet.
The Frenchman was recently praised by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic who said Wemby would be “remembered forever.”
Wemby’s talent is undeniable but talk of becoming a potential GOAT might be a touch early.
Standing at 7’3″ Wembanyama was always going to cause problems for even the best defenses in the league, but few believed he could hit the ground running this quickly.
Milwaukee Bucks star Bobby Portis explained how he was blown away by Wemby when the pair first played against each other.
At the age of 21 you wouldn’t expect Wemby to play with the poise and experience that he does, he seems to play with the nouse of a seasoned veteran.
He has carried the Spurs at times and his ability to impact a game on both ends of the court is invaluable. So much so that former NBA star Gilbert Arenas believes he could be a future GOAT.
Speaking on Gil’s Arena, he was asked whether Wemby will be in the GOAT debate, he said: “I’ve got to say facts. When you’re talking about the people that are considered the GOAT’s Jordan [Michael Jordan] will still in college at this age, LeBron [LeBron James] he’s infront of obviously, Kobe [Kobe Bryant] he would be in front of too at that age. Kareem [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] was in college at this age too.
“So for those types of guys, where he’s at, his numbers we’ve just got to say yes as he has an advantage because he’s in the league before Jordan and Kareem was and he’s better than Kobe at this age.”
DeMarcus Cousins recently told Run It Back TV that he believes that ‘at minimum’, Wembanyama can be the greatest NBA defensive player of all time.
While Wembanyama does have the occasional quiet game he’s usually dropping serious numbers regularly.
While Wemby had some impressive rookie season numbers how do they compare to the other stars who are in the GOAT debate?
| Victor Wembanyama | LeBron James | Kobe Bryant | Michael Jordan | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | |
| Points | 21.4 | 20.9 | 7.6 | 28.2 | 28.8 |
| Rebounds | 10.6 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 11.2 |
| Assists | 3.9 | 5.9 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 3.6 |
| Blocks | 3.6 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.6 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 0.9 |
It’s safe to say that based on the stats Wemby has every right to be included in the conversation for now, the real question will be whether he can keep this up throughout his career.
These stars not only put up great numbers they also broke numerous records and won championships for fun, Wemby has some work to do.
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