Originally Picked 1st
Even as his team has leaned into this "we don't need a traditional point guard" experiment with Jeremy Sochan (and now Malaki Branham), Victor Wembanyama has lived up to the hype through the first third of his first season.
His combination of length and fluidity still seems impossible, even after watching him in 20-plus games. It erases passing lanes and once-open shots in the blink of an eye. Wembanyama's defensive instincts are very advanced for his age. Even if he just topped out as this level of defender, he'd likely have a long and fruitful career.
As a 19-year-old rookie, he's in the 96th percentile in defensive estimated plus-minus (one of the most trusted catch-all metrics in NBA front offices) and averaging 8.4 defensive rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.4 steals in 30.2 minutes.
But that's not where the intrigue ends.
His jumpers aren't going down at a high rate (both his two and three-point percentages are well below the league averages), but his form looks like that of a wing. In time, especially if the San Antonio Spurs eventually play him with someone who'll set up easy looks, those percentages should rise.
He's also a truly unique weapon around the rim as a rim-running, lob-catching, offensive-rebounding finisher. In seemingly every game, there's some moment that he starts to take off from well outside other finishers' range and still reaches all the way to the rim.
What might be most underrated about him right now is his vision and willingness to pass.
When reports first surfaced about executives believing Wembanyama could be the best player on the league on both ends of the floor by his third or fourth season, it almost felt unfair to the teenage phenom.
Half a year later, it suddenly feels well within the realm of possibility.
