Lakers News: LA Hall Of Famer Makes Historic Comp For Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama
Just before Victor Wembanyama's final season in France tipped off, the NBA hype machine went into absolute overdrive.
Wembanyama, the 7'5" center that has an adept touch from three and athleticism never before seen from a player his size, was getting compared with NBA all-time scoring king LeBron James as far as potentially being the best prospect to ever come into the best league in the world.
It was an absolute given that Wembanyama would be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, and the San Antonio Spurs were rewarded with the generational prospect.
The Spurs are more than used to having generational big men in their organization -- they had Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and David Robinson as teammates for a time -- but Wemby? He's different and almost incomparable in a way, with the most unique skill set that's ever entered the NBA.
Well the incomparable received quite the comparison this week, and he got it from Los Angeles Lakers and NBA royalty in Jerry West.
The Lakers legend and figure behind the NBA logo, Jerry West, compared Wembanyama to one of the greatest defenders in NBA history in Bill Russell, saying the following to Sirius XM's NBA Radio.
“If you watch him defensively, he ruins games. I mean, he reminds me a little bit of a bigger Bill Russell with a big reach, coming from everywhere, blindside. So any offensive player is gonna have to be really cautious about where he is because he’s gonna mess up some offenses, that’s for sure.”
That's a lofty comparison, but one that Wemby actually may have the potential to fulfill.
Wembenyama's incredibly agile for anyone, especially for a player with his 7'5" frame. And while he struggled on the offensive end in the Spurs Summer League opener on Friday, he racked up 5 blocks in 27 minutes while showing off that athleticism and ability to read and react quickly to opposing offenses.
Obviously, Wembanyama has a long way to go as he gets ready to officially begin his NBA career, but for a player who's garnered quite the expectations already, he just added one of the best comparisons possible to go along with that.
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