Victor Wembanyama, a French center, is rapidly emerging as one of the NBA’s most dominant players despite having only played one season. Damian Lillard, a guard for the Milwaukee Bucks, concurs with that assessment and believes the big man for the San Antonio Spurs will achieve that rank as soon as the next campaign begins.
Wembanyama was the first pick in the NBA Draft of the previous year, having generated a lot of excitement during the offseason. From then on, the French sensation proven to be San Antonio’s best choice and a key player for the team’s future.
Despite a poor start to his first campaign, Wemby picked up steam and proved his abilities to all. This season, the big man played in 71 games and averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game. In addition, he made 46% of his shots from the field, 32% from beyond the arc, and nearly 80% from the free throw line.
Wembanyama’s performance was more than sufficient to create a lot of buzz and excitement for the Western Conference club, even though the Spurs were among the poorest teams in the NBA. His season-long efforts were validated by winning Rookie of the Year and finishing second in the Defensive Player of the Year competition. Given how his first season in the NBA went, it’s easy to assume that the Spurs star’s future will only get better.
Wembanyama’s stellar debut season has drawn the interest of his NBA colleagues. In a piece authored by Drake Bentley for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bucks All-Star Damian Lillard is one of the individuals who shared their opinions about the Spurs center.
“I believe that by the upcoming season, everyone will be discussing (Wembanyama) as the league’s best player,” Lillard stated.
These days, it’s difficult to find a player that can handle the ball, shoot from anywhere on the court, and defend at the highest level. As it happens, Wembanyama possesses all of those abilities and then some. The concerning aspect of this situation is that, despite all of the ridiculous stats he posted throughout the season, he acknowledged that he ought to have done more.
To get Lillard’s stamp of approval means a lot, especially for a young player like Wembanyama. If he continues playing like this, it won’t be long now before he does become the best in the entire league.
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