Tag: Victor Wembanyama

Wembanyama Wednesday: Vic is expected to attend Bulls-Pistons NBA game in Paris

This could be a first-look at his future teammates for Victor Wembanyama.

Welcome to Wembanyama Wednesdays, our new recurring weekly post that will provide you with everything you need to know about Victor Wembanyama, the once-in-a-generation talent coming to an NBA team soon.

The Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons will meet on Thursday for the first NBA game played n Europe since 2020.

The NBA Paris Game 2023 is the second regular-season NBA game ever in Paris. The first was on Jan. 24, 2020, between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Charlotte Hornets. This will be the first time that Pistons guard Killian Hayes will play in front of his grandma since he left France to pursue his basketball dreams.

Also expected in attendance is Victor Wembanyama, the sensational NBA prospect who is expected to hear his name called with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Wembanyama has a game against Fos Sur Mer in Southern France on Wednesday evening. But he will reportedly be in the crowd at the Accor Arena on Thursday.

France has had more players drafted into the NBA than any other country outside North America and has been the most-represented European country in the NBA for each of the last 16 seasons.

Wembanyama looks to become the first No. 1 overall pick from Europe since Andrea Bargnani was selected by the Toronto Raptors in 2006.

It is possible, however, that this game might give Wembanyama his first look at his future teammates. Based on current lottery odds, the Pistons are one of the favorites to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

This would be an ideal situation for all parties, especially considering the Pistons have a loaded backcourt with Cade Cunningham (who is out for the remainder of the season due to an injury) and Jaden Ivey but a relatively thin rotation in the frontcourt.

The game, which will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories, will air live in France on beIN SPORTS, NBA League Pass, and in the U.S. on NBA TV, Bally Sports DET, and NBC Sports Chicago.

2023 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Wembanyama, Henderson on top; Freshmen rising in latest projections

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands at the midway point of the season.

The 2022-23 basketball season is in full swing as the next wave of prospects across the college level and the professional ranks look ahead to the 2023 NBA draft on June 22.

Of course, Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson remain at the top of draft boards at the start of the new year. Both could shut down their seasons right now and still be viewed as the best two players in the class. In other words: They are locked in at Nos. 1 and 2.

Elsewhere, though, fortunes change seemingly nightly.

Several prospects have improved upon their preseason rankings, while others have struggled and had their stock fall. The latest look at the class even has several freshmen on the rise after some impressive performances through the first half of the year.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the first round stands at the midway point of the season. It is important to note that team needs were not necessarily taken into account with each pick. The projections are rather a look at where each individual player stands at this point of the process.

Note: The order of the draft was pulled from Tankathon as of Jan. 10. The draft will have only 58 picks this year because the Bulls and Sixers were stripped of their second-round picks by the NBA due to tampering violations.

2023 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Must-know stats for each prospect projected in the first round

You’re going to want to see this data.

It is the start of a new calendar year, so let’s update our NBA mock draft.

While most fans already knew Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson before the season began, we are starting to get a more clear picture of who else will hear their names called in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Quite a bit has changed since our last update before the season began.

Some players, like Duke’s Dereck Lively III and Kentucky’s Chris Livingston, have not lived up to preseason expectations. Others, like UCF’s Taylor Hendricks and Alabama’s Noah Clowney, have already surpassed what any could have hoped for from them.

Of course, it is still early enough in the season that these predictions will continue to evolve as we get closer to conference tournaments and March Madness. But until then, we’ve used our intel and our scouting to make some projections.

The draft order was based on averaging win projections from ESPN, FiveThirtyEight, and Basketball Reference. All traded picks were accounted for and included.

Unless noted otherwise, all data was pulled from our friends at Cerebro Sports — you can create a free account to evaluate player performance across all levels globally.

The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

2023 NBA mock draft roundup: Potential Houston Rockets picks entering January

Amen Thompson and Scoot Henderson are among the more popular #Rockets picks in the latest wave of 2023 NBA mock drafts. Houston also owns a 2023 first-round pick from Milwaukee.

Entering 2023, the bad news for the young Houston Rockets is that they’ve lost eight times over their past nine games and are tied for the fewest wins (10) of any NBA team during the 2022-23 season.

The good news is that led by the likes of Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson, the 2023 NBA draft class is widely viewed as a strong one, and the Rockets are currently slated to have full control of their own pick once this year’s draft takes place on Thursday, June 22.

They also have a first-round selection headed their way from Milwaukee, which is likely to be near the bottom of the round. For playoff teams, like the Bucks, draft slot is determined solely by record — whereas for the 14 non-playoff teams, like the Rockets, the top-four picks are determined from a weighted lottery system. From there, the remainder of those top-14 selections are decided by record.

Here’s a roundup of who the various draft experts have going to Houston in recent mock drafts, along with a look at the lottery odds. As of Monday, the Rockets (10-26) had the league’s third-worst record, with only Detroit and Charlotte holding better lottery odds.

Rockets, James Harden tidbits from ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Tim MacMahon

In a new podcast episode of The Lowe Post, ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Tim MacMahon break down everything related to the #Rockets and a potential James Harden pursuit in 2023 free agency.

In a new podcast episode of “The Lowe Post,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Tim MacMahon break down everything related to the Houston Rockets and a potential James Harden pursuit in 2023 free agency.

The episode was taped Tuesday afternoon, two days after a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski rocked the NBA by suggesting Harden could be headed back to Houston next summer.

While both Lowe and MacMahon said they personally wouldn’t pursue Harden, if they were the Rockets, they also acknowledge the team may decide differently and explored the potential reasons.

The ESPN duo also dropped a few interesting tidbits related to other options for the Rockets in the 2023 offseason, including Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving and Indiana big man Myles Turner. See below for select excerpts, and listen to the complete discussion below (the Houston portion of the podcast starts at the 21:15 mark).

It would have been shocking if Scoot Henderson sat out until the NBA Draft, as some execs feared

“Several NBA executives in Las Vegas declared they would be surprised if Henderson played in another game this season.”

NBA draft prospect Scoot Henderson will return to the court for the G League Ignite after an 11-game absence.

Henderson is widely considered the best guard in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he played well during a pre-season exhibition game against projected No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama. Henderson, however, hadn’t played since Nov. 18 and missed time after suffering a nasal fracture.

According to Jonathan Givony, his absence has led some decision-makers around the NBA to wonder when and even if he would return to the court this season (via ESPN):

“G League officials said he is being held out due to an abundance of caution as the risk of soft tissue damage is exponentially higher after suffering a concussion and their performance staff wants “to protect his body for his long-term goals.”

Several NBA executives in Las Vegas declared they would be surprised if Henderson played in another game this season because he’s all but assured of being a top-3 pick.

That thinking was shot down emphatically by G League Ignite officials, who said Henderson is an elite competitor who refuses to entertain that type of discussion and will be back on the court soon.”

Even though such speculation was inaccurate, it wouldn’t have been an unreasonable decision by Henderson. The 18-year-old is a rising star who already has a sneaker deal with Puma and he has little left to prove to hear his name as one of the first picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.

There were questions about whether or not Wembanyama, too, would shut it down for the season after dominating against the G League Ignite. His agent, however, said that Wembanyama would have no interest in that because the prospect “wants to compete” and get better.

Last season, Shaedon Sharpe never played a minute for Kentucky but was still selected at No. 7 overall. Henderson’s former G League Ignite teammate Jaden Hardy, meanwhile, was projected as a top draft pick before the season but fell to the second round after a disappointing campaign.

Which side of the coin does Henderson more closely resemble? Based on reporting from Mirin Fader, from a conversation months before the injury, it seemed more likely the latter (via The Ringer):

He watches his idol, Kobe Bryant, too, inspired by why Kobe played so hard, even through injury. Kobe once said that there might be somebody who saved up their money to fly in from somewhere, and can only come to see him that one game. Scoot has embraced that sentiment, not wanting to disappoint that one person.

“When you come see me,” Scoot says, “you gonna see a show.”

Henderson admires Bryant’s willingness to play through injuries, so it would have been very surprising for him to shut down his season unless the injury required as much.

According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, meanwhile, those around Henderson raved about his “internal drive” during the G League Showcase in Las Vegas. He told Scotto that he has a “competitive spirit” and that he wants to be the No. 1 overall pick.

As one scout told Raphael Barlowe, some decision-makers feel that it is very important to show that type of competitive edge during the pre-draft process (via NBA Big Board):

“I wouldn’t want a player on my team who opted not to play because he was more concerned about the NBA draft than competing. I see both sides of it, but it’s selfish. Selfish on the player’s part and selfish of the agent to even suggest a kid to sit out with an injury that isn’t close to season-ending.”

Henderson’s injury was not one that would be considered season-ending, though, so fans should have always expected Henderson to return to the court sooner rather than later.

Henderson needed the recovery time to limit exacerbating his injury with soft tissue damage after not playing full contact. But now, he has had that time and it will help ensure that he is as prepared as possible for the next steps of what is likely going to be a long career in the NBA.

Especially for those as talented as he is, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Note: This story was updated at 4:15 PM EST on Dec. 27.

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Wembenyama Wednesday: New footage of Victor and Scoot Henderson is an NBA fan’s dream

This was such fun insight into the historic scrimmage.

Welcome to Wembanyama Wednesdays, our new recurring weekly post that will provide you with everything you need to know about Victor Wembanyama, the once-in-a-generation talent coming to an NBA team soon.

The NBA G League released the first episode of an 8-part docuseries “The Break, Presented by The General” and the first episode details the exhibition match between Scoot Henderson and Victor Wembanyama.

This series premiere includes never-before-seen footage of the preseason showdown. The on-court camera angles are gorgeous and provide a closer look at the historic scrimmage that began the rivalry between Henderson and Wembanyama.

The face that Wembanyama makes after blocking Henderson’s shot at the 6-minute, 28-second mark was particularly incredible. Overall, this was a very fun look at what proved to be a historic duel between two phenomenal NBA draft prospects.

You can watch the full episode, featuring Wembanyama, on YouTube:

Here’s more Wembenyama content to enjoy:

Mock trade sends Alex Caruso to Warriors as Bulls tank for Wembanyama

Caruso would bolster Milwaukee’s depth as Chicago starts to rebuild.

The Chicago Bulls are off to a 9-12 start to the season as they sit as the No. 12 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Compared to the beginning of last season, the Bulls are off to a complete opposite start as they’ve struggled out the gate with the same core group from last season.

Looking up at the top of the East, the Bulls’ chances of making a run in the playoffs seems slim, let alone just making the postseason — which could call for a potential blow up of the current roster.

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons put together three proposed trades for the Bulls to rebuild their team and focus on the future, including sending Alex Caruso to the defending champs for young pieces and a pick.

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Victor Wembanyama shows off his trademark one-legged 3-pointer in his latest absurd play

Wemby is at it again.

It’s no secret that French forward Victor Wembanyama is one of the most physically gifted NBA draft prospects we’ve seen in a very long time.

The 7-foot-3 18-year-old simply looks like he’s playing the game on easy mode, and he has a deep bag of tricks for his team, the Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A — the highest level of professional basketball in France.

Perhaps the most iconic move in his repertoire is his recently added running, one-legged three-point shot, which simply looks unfair when executed well. Wemanyama pulled it off once again on Friday afternoon, and you better believe the clip made the rounds on NBA Twitter.

Here’s another angle of the unbelievable shot.

It looks like this kid is just playing a different sport, and he’s going to make some NBA team very happy in a few months. Wembanyama is universally considered to be the top prospect in the 2023 NBA draft, and some observers even see him as the most intriguing prospect since LeBron James was coming out of high school.

With plays like these, it’s easy to see why.

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Proposed trade sends DeRozan, Vucevic to Lakers for Westbrook, picks

Bill Simmons of The Ringer proposes a full fledge tank for the Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls are off to a 9-12 start to the season as they sit as the No. 12 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Compared to the beginning of last season, the Bulls are off to a complete opposite start as they’ve struggled out the gate with the same core group from last season.

Looking up at the top of the East, the Bulls’ chances of making a run in the playoffs seems slim, let alone just making the postseason — which could call for a potential blow up of the current roster.

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons put together three proposed trades for the Bulls to rebuild their team and focus on the future, including one blockbuster that sends DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic to the Lakers.

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