Since becoming the first overall draft pick and joining the NBA, Victor Wembanyama hasn’t let anyone down. The rookie big man for the San Antonio Spurs has played 49 games and shown off his amazing talent and ability.
The most recent high-profile athlete to commend Wembanyama for his apparent potential and impressive NBA debut was Nikola Jokic on Saturday.
“I like his approach,” Jokic said during an All-Star Game news conference. “He really cares. He’s not scared of getting tired. He’s not scared of getting embarrassed. He just plays and wants to win the game. He’s playing at 100%. You can see that he’s doing a lot of things on the court. He’s a really good player. I’ve already said it. I think he’s going to change the game. We just need to give him time and witness.”
"I think he's going to change the game."
– Jokic delivers high praise to Wemby and his future in the NBA 🗣️#NBAAllStarMediaDay presented by @ATT
The 2024 #NBAAllStar Game tips on Sunday at 8:00pm/et on TNT! pic.twitter.com/gx5NOgoN29
— NBA (@NBA) February 17, 2024
Most people agree that Jokic is currently the best player in the world. It is significant to him that Wembanyama has the ability to affect the game and that’s a big deal. The 7-foot-4 rookie big man has the ability to shoot like Kevin Durant, protect the rim like Yao Ming, and dribble like a guard. He possesses every quality needed to be a genuine generational talent in the league.
Victor Wembanyama established himself as “the first player in NBA history” Multiple times this week
Still, it’s wise to follow Jokic’s advise. It will be some time before Wembanyama becomes a dominant force in the NBA. He’s still quite young. His game is still being developed. Above all, though, his physique continues to expand. Over the next few years, Wembanyama will add significant size and strength to his frame. As that happens, his game will naturally go to another level.
The scary part is that we have no idea how that level will appear. We just know that it’s probably something that has never been seen before. For the time being, though, it will be entertaining to watch him pick up new skills and develop because it’s not often that you get to witness a future Hall of Famer discovering how to control the NBA on the fly.