There's a bit of a difference between the grown men in the Euroleague and the G-League though. One of the big reasons why Doncic hit the ground running in his rookie year.
Oh, I agree that international leagues especially the very best international leagues like Euroleague are head and shoulders above the G League. It was just interesting that it was the very same argument verbatim that Green enthusiasts used.
^ Watched full game. Lots of things weren't put in the highlights. Wembanyama's presence alone was a huge obstacle. The biggest run my team managed to make was when Wembanyama was sitting on the bench. This is a 17 year old making an insane impact defensively already in the strongest league outside of the NBA. Chet doesn't even come close to Wembanyama in terms of potential. His floor is literally a more versatile Rudy Gobert. This kid is a sure thing.
I didn’t watch the game, watched all of the highlights. The kid is special but he looks significantly slower and less athletic than Chet. That’s not a bad thing, Chet is special with mobility. Wemby still looks like a very athletic guy for his size, but it looks like he will be a center only in the league. A special one, but still a center only.
People do not realize just how long he really is..... for both good and bad. He is 18 years old, he is around 7'3" with a wingspan of 7'10"....... his sheer size makes him extremely difficult to shoot over, but also makes him very hard to stop inside when he gets rebounds. I think his sheer size can also be his biggest concerns as well..... he has a massive frame, and is already 230 lbs and is every bit as thin as Holmgren and Mobley.... that just gives you an idea of how massive a man he really is. The concern is that if he is 230 lbs at 18, that he will easily be 250 lbs in a few years and that is a lot of weight on his body. He could be 300 lbs and still look thin. As an athlete, he isn't a great run and jump athlete and he isn't explosive. However, he is smooth in his movements and he has really good coordination. He is going to be very good offensively if he stays healthy because he will draw fouls, get a lot of put backs and he has some post and perimeter moves. His shot blocking instincts are not as good as Holmgren or even Mark Eaton..... but he could still easily lead the league because of his fluid movements and a nearly 8 foot long wingspan.... as a rebounder, he is lucky he plays in the modern era because he doesn't have to worry about being pushed out as easily. Oddly, he doesn't handle physical play or being bumped as well as Holmgren does.... but he is so long that he still can block shots and rebound when he is bumped. I can see why he is considered a better prospect than Holmgren.... he is younger, longer and has the better frame to fill out.... he is also a more smooth but less explosive athlete than Chet..... you add all that together and you can project him as an all time great IF he stays healthy.... imagine a longer, better shooting version of Anthony Davis..... but with his frame, his risk of injury is really high.... he is in the same realm as guys like Yao Ming, Ralph Sampson, Rik Smits. The other concern I have with him, is that even if he stays healthy, he will lose mobility as he gains weight and he may be limited to playing inside and can be exploited in certain defensive match ups like Rudy Gobert is..... but even if that IS the case, a 20 point a game version of Rudy Gobert is a First Ballot Hall of Famer.
He is 18+ right now.... but he is certainly an elite prospect, and if he doesn't break down he will likely be the #1 pick next season. I agree, his sheer presence on the court is his biggest impact... he is 7'3" with close to an 8' wingspan and teams are not used to a player that long, and he also has a very wide frame as well. He isn't a sure thing though.... not at that size.... it isn't the height even, its just the size of his frame and the style of game he plays. He is going to be someone that is a high injury risk. I agree that based on pure upside, he is higher than Chet but I do think it is actually fairly close when risk is figured in. The U-19 US team also started to exploit him some as they saw him more, he struggled against the more explosive players like Ivey who could get by him and around him on angles and could get him in foul trouble.
Offensive giants in basketball have an extremely poor track record of lower body health. Rik Smits seems to be the only outlier as a player who did more than block shots. Granted it's not a huge sample size, only about 6 players (Sabonis,Yao, Sampson, Porzingus,Illgauskas,Smits off the top of my head) still it would be enough to terrify me with the number one pick taking a guy 7'3.
Wembayana is better prospect than any player in 2021 + 2022 drafts. He is not explosive but his length + skill is generational. Absolute freak of nature. On offense especially.
