Ever since basketball fans became aware of Victor Wembanyama, it has seemed like only a matter of time until the giant Frenchman took over the NBA. According to Celtics announcer Brian Scalabrine, that day may already be at hand.
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Scalabrine recently appeared on The Starting Lineup on SiriusXM radio to discuss, among other things, how impactful Wemby already is in his second NBA season, and he made what is sure to be a controversial point.
“Offensively, where do you stop him?”@Scalabrine tells @TheFrankIsola Victor Wembanyama may already be the most impactful player in the NBA.
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“I think he impacts more plays than even Nikola Jokic,” Scalabrine said. “I just watch the impact per play, and it’s very high.”
Nikola Jokic is pretty unanimously thought to be the best player in the NBA right now, and for good reason. He’s won three of the last four MVP awards, and he’s putting up even better numbers this year as he tries to drag an undermanned Nuggets team to the playoffs.
Scalabrine does have a point though about Wemby’s defense because although Jokic has improved on that end of the court in recent years, he’ll never be able to impact the game on the defensive end the way Wemby can.
“I see guys driving, and every time they drive, they take a look at where’s Wemby at … I guarantee you when they’re playing, they’re constantly checking where he’s at, where he’s at, where he’s at.”
Nikola Jokic may be the best player in the league, but Victor Wembanyama is rapidly gaining on him
Although Wemby has a huge edge defensively thanks to his league-leading four blocks per game and an untold number of affected shots, Jokic still has an edge on him due to the overwhelming nature of his impact on the offensive end.
The Serbian center is averaging 30.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 9.4 assists, each of which is currently the third-best mark in the NBA. He’s also shooting 56.7 percent from the field and leading the league with 50 percent shooting from three-point range.
Wemby’s numbers are phenomenal for a 20-year-old playing in his second NBA season, but they’re not quite at Jokic’s level, at least not yet. His 25.4 points per game is the 11th-best mark in the league, and his 10.2 rebounds rank 12th. He’s also averaging 3.9 assists while shooting 48 percent from the floor.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Jokic ranks in the 100th percentile in on/off splits, meaning no player in the NBA has a bigger impact on his team’s success. This is the fourth year in a row that’s been true. The Nuggets are 27.7 points per 100 possessions better with Jokic on the floor this year than when he’s off, a crazy number that really puts into perspective just how valuable he is.
Wemby is no slouch, and he ranks in the 94th percentile in his on/off splits. Still, even though only six percent of players rank above him, his 13.1 points per 100 possessions differential is still less than half of Jokic’s 27.7, which goes to show just how far ahead of the league the Joker really is.
Though they’re both centers, the different ways in which Jokic and Wemby impact the game are fascinating, and a welcome antidote to criticisms that most players in the league play the same style of basketball.
Wemby’s game will only continue to mature, and one of the most interesting storylines of the next five years will be whether or not he can overtake Jokic as the game’s preeminent player. Jokic has the edge right now, but Wemby is coming for the crown.
