Victor Wembanyama has yet to officially suit up for the San Antonio Spurs but the No. 1 pick is projected to be one of the top players in the NBA this season by an ESPN panel.
Wembanyama came in at No. 47 on ESPN’s annual NBArank list, which predicts the top 100 players. The panel, which consists of nearly 150 reporters, editors, producers and analysts, was asked to rank players based on their predicted contributions for this season only.
He is the highest-ranked first-year player on the list, which also includes Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (78th) and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (73rd).
Wembanyama is unlike any prospect we’ve seen enter the NBA. Wembanyama averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in the French Pro A League last season on his way to winning MVP honors. Still, how much of that translates to the NBA right away remains to be seen.
Wembanyama debuted on Monday against Holmgren and the Thunder, recording 20 points, five rebounds, two steals and one block in 19 minutes. He became the first Spurs rookie to record at least 20 points in a preseason game since DeJuan Blair in 2009.
The 19-year-old is the front-runner (plus-125) to win Rookie of the Year with Henderson and Holmgren tied for the next highest odds at plus-300. The trio enters the year with tremendous expectations for their respective teams and are projected to have strong years.
The expectation level for Wembanyama is especially high this season as the Frenchman looks to help the Spurs take the next step in their rebuild. The collective basketball world is eager to see how he handles the transition and it should make for an exciting year.
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