“Not Worth 8 Wins”: LeBron James’ Former Teammate Vouches for Victor Wembanyama’s Impact on Spurs Amid Former NBA Champion’s Doubt

Two former NBA champions, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, recently, indulged in a debate about NBA new boy Victor Wembanyama. The San Antonio Spurs’ new prodigy is joining a team that won just 22 games last season, finishing 15th in the Western Conference. When asked whether the Spurs can win 30 games next season, Jefferson and Frye had different opinions during their October 14 appearance on the Road Trippin’ podcast.

Jefferson, LeBron James’ former teammate at the Cleveland Cavaliers, claimed that Wembanyama was surely worth the 8 wins required to send the Spurs to a 50-50 record. However, Frye argued that they could win a maximum of 25 games, simply because the rest of the Western Conference had also gotten better in the offseason.

Channing Frye does not believe Victor Wembanyama is worth 8 extra wins

Frye and Jefferson were teammates at the Cleveland Cavaliers when they won the 2016 NBA title. However, they found themselves on opposing sides when talking about Victor Wembanyama.

The San Antonio Spurs won just 22 games last season, and Jefferson believes that Wembanyama will be able to take them to 30 this season. He claimed that the prospect had been called the best of the last 30 years, and surely had to be worth the 8 wins,

“True. Maybe Trash. It’s 50-50. You know what, they will get 30. They won 22 games last year. If the greatest thing that we have seen in the last 30 years, a prospect, and you are telling me he is not worth 8 wins. 8 wins?”

Channing Frye, however, claimed that the entire conference had gotten better. This led to him claiming that the Spurs might still struggle to reach 30 wins, and might have to contend with a maximum of 25,

“The West is a monster. Let’s just assume the Rockets are decent. Who the f**k are they  beating? Who are they going to beat? 25, maybe. The league got better. Dallas is better, Utah is better, OKC is better, Phoenix is better, Houston is better. Memphis will be better after the first 35 games, respectfully.”

The two went on to drive home their points. Jefferson claimed that some teams in the West had actually gotten worse, like the Denver Nuggets. Frye, however, contended that while the Nuggets might have lost Bruce Brown, they have a fit Jamal Murray. Murray missed out on his first-ever All-Star appearance due to injury troubles but returned for the post-season to help the Nuggets’ title charge. 

Richard Jefferson does not believe Victor Wembanyama will win Rookie of the Year

Jefferson might be backing Wembanyama to help his side reach a 50-50 record in the upcoming season. However, he does not believe that will necessarily result in him winning the ROTY award.

Instead, he claimed on the same podcast that Chet Holmgren had a better shot at winning the title. Holmgren missed the entire 2022-23 season due to a foot injury and will be returning extra hungry for the new campaign.

Jefferson contended that Wembanyama and Holmgren were the favorites, simply because Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller would be playing for arguably weaker teams. Holmgren had shown great promise in last year’s summer league before picking up his season-ending injury.