Victor Wembanyama has lived up to the expectations and hype as a rookie in the league this season. The French prodigy was touted as the next big sensation as a rookie since LeBron James, and he hasn’t disappointed either. Several veterans are praising the 7’4″ rookie for his performances this season, comparing him to the likes of many legends in the league. One such veteran is the 2008 NBA champion, Kevin Garnett.
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Garnett recently hopped on to the KG CERTIFIED podcast to discuss the rise of Victor Wembanyama in the league. When KG was asked about his thoughts on the rise of the young rookie, the Celtics legend replied,
“Wemby has been looking crazy man, I am being dead a**.”
Comparing Wemby’s rise to that of Stephen Curry, KG contends that Victor Wembanyama has brought a new mix to the position of a center in basketball.
“Not only is he moving and growing, but he is making the five damn near look like the three!” Garnett exclaimed, saying how Wemby is efficiently making the center position seem like that of a small forward.
“Wemby is damn near KD [Kevin Durant] in the five, bro. I swear he’s bringing the dynamic to the five that if you’re not at the five position and you can’t slide and you can’t move your feet, be dynamic. It’s going to be hard, bro. He’s setting a precedent to the future fives to ‘this is what you got to be like,'” KG added.
Given how Wemby is evolving the notion of a traditional center in the game, KG believes the French wonderkid could soon surpass Shaquille O’Neal in terms of popularity.
The Big Ticket was much more impressed with Wemby being a humble and coachable asset for the Spurs despite the hype surrounding him. He believes that the 20-year-old now has plenty of time to learn more about the game and eventually surpass many of his contemporaries in the league over the upcoming seasons.
Wemby had earned his flowers from the legendary center Dwight Howard
Victor Wembanyama had left veteran NBA center Dwight Howard stunned with his skillset. The former Magic center was impressed by the rookie’s work ethic and wishes the Spurs center to have a decorated career because of his intensity.
When Wemby became the youngest player to have a 20-point, 20-rebound game, Howard took to his Instagram to congratulate the young French prodigy. In his caption, Howard wrote, “@wemby keep being great ! Keep growing the game of basketball Congrats on becoming the youngest in the 20/20 club and keep being great ! There is a bunch of more records to be broken.”
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Dwight Howard also stated how his kids are learning a lot about basketball after watching Wemby play on a nightly basis. “And I even tell my sons, when you turn on the TV, watch Wemby. Watch the intensity that he plays with. Because that’s going to be you,” stated Howard.
The former Orlando Magic center believes that Wemby has opened the doors for more 7+ foot players to develop a multi-faceted and dynamic approach to their games.
