Lakers News: LA Great Is Liking What He Sees Out Of No. 1 NBA Draft Pick

Longtime Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard, coach and front office whiz Jerry West, now a Los Angeles Clippers executive, is loving what he sees from the San Antonio Spurs' latest No. 1 overall draft picks, 7'4" power forward Victor Wembanyama, who recently made his NBA debut in Summer League competition.

“He reminds me of a bigger Bill Russell."

Jerry West has high praise for Victor Wembanyama at NBA Summer League@termineradio | @thejaxshow | @vicw_32 pic.twitter.com/AZKfgqRDTw
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 8, 2023

“You rarely see someone that combines his brain and his abilities. Just watching him play, it’s an easy game for him to play. If you watch really great players, they don’t look like they are working hard. They’re at the right place at the right time. If you watch him defensively, he ruins games,” West opined.

“He reminds me a little bit of a bigger Bill Russell, with a big reach. Coming from everywhere, blind sides," West noted. "Any offensive player is gonna have to be really cautious about where he is because he’s gonna mess up some offenses.”

Wembanyama, who spent his final pre-NBA season with French club Metropolitans 92, is anticipated to make an instant defensive impact at the next level. How much he'll contribute on offense as a rookie is a bit murkier, though he is generally considered to be one of the most exciting pro prospects since Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA small forward LeBron James 20 years ago.

Another Lakers star, center Anthony Davis, was once considered the best player to enter the draft since his now-teammate, when the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans selected him first overall out of Kentucky in 2012. Expectations are not always an exact predictor of success, and though The Brow hasn't proven to be perhaps quite as dominant as scouts hoped at the time, he was still an eight-time All-Star, a four-time All-NBA First Teamer, and the second-best player on a title team in 2020. Injuries and inconsistent offense have prevented him from perhaps reaching his sky-high ceiling, but all told the 30-year-old will certainly be a Hall of Famer when his career is done.

West is one of the best NBA talent appraisers ever. During his stint with the Lakers, he oversaw the drafting of Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, Vlade Devic, Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Kobe Bryant, and more. When he moved on to the Memphis Grizzlies, he oversaw the team's inspired drafting of eventual Lakers Hall of Famer Pau Gasol. He was also a key executive on the early Stephen Curry-era Golden State Warriors title teams.

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