Ever since getting picked up 1st in the 2023 draft, Victor Wembanyama has faced severe criticism and questions over maintaining physicality in the NBA. As we all know, the league is quite physical, with players such as LeBron James dominating several games with their physical prowess. The critics believe that Wemby needs to prioritize gaining muscle before he makes his rookie regular season debut. But many others, including former NBA star Paul Pierce, think the 7’5″ star does not need to worry about the league’s physicality.
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Pierce used the examples of Charles Barkley and Dennis Rodman, who made a mark in the league despite not having the best physical abilities. In SHOWTIME Basketball’s Summer League LIVE, Pierce supported the French prodigy, who wants to live up to his expectations.
As Paul Pierce puts it, the league had evolved to be more shooter friendly than in the past, when players were constantly driving into the paint. Based on this argument, Pierce is ardent that Wemby would live up to his hype when he makes his rookie debut in the upcoming season.
Paul Pierce believes that Victor Wembanyama will be able to survive the highly physical nature of the NBA
Many players with slender frames, including Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, have left an impeccable mark on the league. Standing at 7’5″ with a lean body structure, Victor Wembanyama’s upcoming regular season debut has placed many doubts in his critics’ minds. One of them was if the Frenchman would be able to survive the physicality of the league.
However, Paul Pierce believes that the critics are instead gravitating toward the very rigid notion of the league. The NBA has constantly been evolving, with the league being more shooter-friendly than in the 20th century.
Indeed, the style of playing basketball has constantly evolved. We won’t find many similarities in gameplay from Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell’s era to that of Michael Jordan’s. Similarly, Michael Jordan’s era of play doesn’t have any similarity to the current generation’s style of basketball. This is why sharpshooters like Stephen Curry have been able to thrive in the NBA’s current era.
Speaking about the same, Pierce believes that Wemby would be able to carve his path within the league’s evolving nature. Furthermore, he also gave the examples of Dennis Rodman and Charles Barkley to support his claim. Both these players managed to thrive in their era, becoming living legends of the game. Elaborating further, Pierce said:
“Its a free flowing game, wide open, everybody can shoot. You know, he [Wemby] don’tneed to put on that much muscle. But this ain’t one of them games to where its one of them brute leagues to where you got guys like Charles Barkley and Dennis Rodman. And gosh, we’re in the weight room all the time.”
Acknowledging the current nature of the league, Pierce then gave the example of Kevin Durant becoming successful, despite his slender figure. Pierce also has the exact expectations from Wemby, who did show his prowess in Europe.
“This is a guy where you can be like Kevin Durant build or like a Wembanyama build and really thrive in this league. Because all the holding and grabbing is not there.”
After a disappointing start in the Summer League, Wemby acknowledged the changes he needed to incorporate. In a post-game interview following his Summer League debut, Wembanyama admitted to Rachel Nichols that he needs to work on his conditioning to suit the league.
Even before getting drafted, Wemby had always emphasized the importance of a proper workout regimen. Perhaps, inspired by LeBron James, the young rookie has already incorporated the required discipline to mark a splendid rookie debut in the upcoming season.
Victor Wembanyama had a disappointing start in his Summer League debut
Victor Wembanyama did not had the perfect start he expected in his first NBA appearance. Although it was a Summer League debut, Wemby only put in nine points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots, and three assists. Despite such an underwhelming start, Wemby did take inspiration from the same and called this a ‘Special Moment.’
The Frenchmen just played two games in the Summer League 2023. His cumulative stats from the two games come down to 36 points, 20 rebounds, eight blocks, and three assists. Furthermore, he had a 41% shooting percentage from the floor. But the Spurs’ No.1 pick now needs adequate rest time to prepare for the upcoming regular season. Surely, Wemby did put on a show for the audiences in Vegas to keep yearning for more from his debut in about three months’ time.
