Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA in 2023 with great expectations. In just 2 years since, it seems he has found a way to exceed those. And as such, has earned the respect of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.
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The term ‘generational’ has been thrown around too loosely over the last decade. But Wembanyama has proven that he is one of the few exceptions. In his first two seasons, he has led the league in blocks, despite playing just 46 games last year. This season, the French star somehow looks to surpass it.
Before suffering a calf injury, Wembanyama had dominated in his 12 appearances, averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.6 blocks per game. Those numbers are certainly impressive., but for O’Neal, there is something else which has stood out.
“He’s added a whole other category, I ain’t never seen out of a big man,” O’Neal said on The Dunker Spot.
For anyone familiar with Shaq, it isn’t common for him to offer praise to a young big man, which means Wemby must be doing something right.
“He can go inside, he can go outside, he can shoot the three. He’s in his own lane,” O’Neal added.
One of the most polarizing aspects of Wemby’s game, according to O’Neal, is the shiftiness at his height. Typically, bigs can’t handle the ball like a guard. They may be able to showcase those skills in spurts, but Wemby is able to do it throughout the entire 48 minutes.
“I had it one out of 60 games with the ‘Aha’. But he has that ‘Aha’ every game. I saw one game he threw it between the legs, threw behind his back and then stepped back and shot the three, and it went in. He’s a whole different breed,” O’Neal proclaimed.
The play which O’Neal is referring to is Wemby’s viral isolation move against Derrick Lively. However, it seems, as O’Neal asserted, that Wembanyama performs such plays each game.
“Tim Duncan would take it and go coast to coast every now and then,” O’Neal said. “David Robinson, myself.”
It seems crazy to think a legend such as Shaq is already putting Wemby in the same breath as the likes of himself, Duncan and David Robinson. What is scarier thing is that Wembanyama is only scratching the surface of his capabilities.
