Charles Barkley has never been one to shy away from a hot take, but this is pushing it.
On a recent segment for TNT’s NBA coverage, Barkley cast doubt that widely projected top 2023 NBA Draft pick Victor Wembanyama will live up to the astronomical hype
It’s the kind of dissenting take that’s going to raise eyebrows, with Wembanyama getting the most fervor of any NBA prospect since Duke’s Zion Williamson in 2019.
Wembanyama’s potential has plenty of people convinced he’s the next great superstar in the NBA, but Barkley said he doesn’t feel that the French hoops sensation has played enough quality competition abroad.
Charles Barkley on Victor Wembanyama:
“I can’t sit here now just because he is killing people over in the Czech Republic that he is going to come over here and dominate. I just don’t believe it.”
(via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/y2YxtcCb95
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 26, 2023
Well, that is certainly one way to judge Wembanyama’s prospects.
Many would argue the play of international NBA superstars like Nikola Jokić and Luka Dončić disproves Barkley’s critiques pretty quickly, and that Barkley isn’t always the most reliable when he’s the outlier in the situation.
It’ll be a stunner if Wembanyama doesn’t wind up being taken first, as plenty of NBA teams will diverge from Chuck and have lots of excitement about getting the French-born talent in their building.