In a move that has been expected since the moment they won the draft lottery last month, the Spurs have officially used the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft to select French big man Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama, 19, is widely considered to be the best NBA prospect since LeBron James entered the league 20 years ago.
The 7’5″ phenom averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game in 34 appearances (32.1 MPG) for the Metropolitans 92 in France’s top league (LNB Pro A) in 2022/23, becoming the youngest MVP in LNB history and cementing his place atop this year’s NBA draft class.
A potential rim-blocking anchor on defense, Wembanyama also projects to be a dynamic multi-level scorer on offense. He made just 27.5% of his three-pointers in France this past season, but showed a willingness to let it fly from beyond the arc (5.0 attempts per game) and made 82.8% of his free throws, which is a promising sign for his developing outside shot.
Wembanyama will join a young Spurs core that includes 2022 lottery pick Jeremy Sochan and former first-rounders Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell. The team also possesses multiple second-round picks in tonight’s draft and projects to have a significant chunk of cap room available this offseason as it begins the process of building around Wembanyama.
The Metropolitans’ season ended just a week ago and Wembanyama hopes to represent France in the World Cup beginning in late August, so there was a belief that the Spurs might hold him out of Summer League play this July. However, he told reporters on Wednesday that he plans to participate, which means it may just be a matter of weeks before we may get our first look at him in action as a Spur.
I am shocked SHOCKED! Well not that shocked.
Why isn’t the first pick of the draft immediate? Especially in a no-brainer case such as this; quit wasting time and get to it
Pop needed to enjoy some wine.