Recently, Philadelphia 76ers’ assistant General Manager Jameer Nelson made an appearance on the Road Trippin’ podcast on YouTube. With the San Antonio Spurs’ first overall pick Victor Wembanyama putting the entire league on notice with the hype around him, Nelson was asked about his assessment of the 19-year-old French star. Considered to be the greatest prospect since LeBron James, who burst into the scene in 2003 as Michael Jordan’s ‘Chosen’ heir, Nelson provided an honest assessment of Wembanyama. The interview took place on the 25th of August episode of the podcast.
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Wembanyama has created a genuine buzz in the NBA with his move to the Spurs. With such huge expectations on him, Wemby was welcomed to San Antonio by franchise legends like Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and Manu Ginobili. According to reports, the three went out to dinner with the French sensation.
Victor Wembanyama gets likened to Kevin Durant by 76ers executive
Jameer Nelson effectively confirmed that Wemby has all the ingredients to be a generational talent. He especially spoke about the kind of fluidity that Wembanyama shows despite being taller than 7 feet.
The 76ers executive claimed that such a combination of fluidity and size reminded him of a certain Kevin Durant. He also claimed that while there were obvious things that Wemby needs to improve on, the talent is already there:
“I mean its just crazy, just the fluidity that he has as at 7 feet 4 or 5. The closest thing in terms of today, what we see what KD moves like that, that fluid and that tall. Obviously, he has some growing to do, just the ins and outs of the NBA game, and the physicality. That’s going to be a question mark but for the most part man like, the talent level is, I don’t know if we have seen a dude this close in talent since LeBron [James].”
Amidst constant comparisons with LeBron James, Nelson’s interview does little to reduce the weight of expectations on the 19-year-old star. At the same time, Nelson suggested that Wemby simply needs to play his game to ensure than his talent “pans out in the NBA.”
Tony Parker was worried about Wembanyama’s constant comparisons with Michael Jordan and LeBron James
4-time NBA champion Tony Parker recently claimed that he was worried with Wemby’s comparisons with some of the game’s greatest. Himself a legend for the Spurs franchise, Parker suggested that Wembanyama has all the talent to emulate him and become a Spurs legend.
However, the French legend pointed out that being compared to MJ, LeBron and Tim Duncan at the age of 19 cannot be beneficial. The NBA can prove to be a challenging league and Wemby will need to keep himself focused in order to fulfil his potential.
Of course, part of the hype that has been created is largely due to the media frenzy surrounding him. Under the tutelage of Gregg Popovich, fans will be hoping that Wembanyama is able to settle down quickly.
