When speaking about the future of the NBA, the name Victor Wembanyama comes up quite often. The 21-year-old French superstar is coming off a great start to his career after only two seasons. There seems to be a common consensus among fans, media, and the NBA GMs that Wemby will be one of the staples of the league over the next decade.
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But Jeff Teague isn’t convinced. In fact, the former Milwaukee Buck believes that Paolo Banchero is the better player, and would even pick him over Wemby if he were starting a team.
This was the subject of conversation on the latest edition of Teague’s Club 520 podcast. The 2021 Champion’s reasoning for taking Banchero over “The Alien?” Because, according to him, Wemby hasn’t done anything yet.
“The reason I say he’s better than Wemby is because Wemby ain’t really did nothing,” he stated.
Jeff Teague says he would take Paolo Banchero over Victor Wembanyama
“The reason I say he’s better than Wemby is because Wemby ain’t really did nothing. We just like Wemby because he’s a freak… He’s a phenomenal player, but I’m just going to go with what I see.”
(Via… pic.twitter.com/la2Dv20ESl
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 24, 2025
It’s a bit of a wild claim. Wemby won Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Spurs and was en route to being named the Defensive Player of the Year for his second season. Unfortunately, the 7’3″ Frenchman had his sophomore campaign cut short due to a deep vein thrombosis.
Teague wasn’t done yet either. He claimed that the only reason people like Wemby at all is because of his unique shape on the basketball court.
“We just like Wemby because he’s a freak… He’s a phenomenal player, but I’m just going to go with what I see,” Teague added.
One thing that Teague did get right here is the praise of Banchero. The Orlando Magic forward has really morphed into a threat over his last three years. He became an All-Star in 2023-2024, averaging 25.9 PPG and shooting over 45% from the field.
This past season, Banchero missed 34 games due to an oblique injury, but still managed to average 25.9 points in the 48 games he did play. Orlando squeaked into the playoffs after victories in the Play-In, while the Spurs finished 22-60 and only finished better than the Blazers in the West.
At the end of the day, it’s too early to determine who will have the better career. But expect Wemby to make up for the games he missed last year by coming out dominant to start his 2025-2026 campaign.
