NBA Mock Draft: Victor Wembanyama to Rockets?
Victor Wembanyama has been synonymous with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and the Houston Rockets -- the second-worst team in the NBA at 15-49 -- win the luck of the draw.
USA Today's For the Win hedged their proverbial bet on the Rockets remaining at the bottom of the standings come season's end, earning them rights to the highly-coveted budding French star:
"While the bar is incredibly high for Wembanyama, he said his goal is to exceed all expectations. He has done as much this year, leading the French league in points, rebounds, and blocks per game. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Rockets or any other franchise. Whoever gets the No. 1 overall pick is sprinting to the podium to select Wembanyama," FTW noted.
Reports vary on Wembanyama's height. Some sources list him at 7-2, while others list him as tall as 7-5. Wembanyama stood discernibly taller than Minnesota Timberwolves' 7-1 center Rudy Gobert when photographed next to one another on Oct. 6, 2022 following his matchup against the NBA G League Ignite.
Nonetheless, Wembanyama, 19, has the makings of a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Quantitatively, he averages 22.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game for Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A league in France.
Qualitatively, he dominates the game in every area. Wembanyama is able to block three-point shots mid-flight, switch onto guards in the pick-and-roll and protect the rim. On offense, he is adroit at rising up from beyond the arc off the dribble, scoring in the post, and converting easy opportunities in the screen-and-roll. The Rockets take the center without a second thought.
FTW's mock draft also prognosticates the Rockets winning the No. 18 overall pick, with which general manager Rafael Stone selects Leonard Miller from the NBA G League Ignite.
Miller averages a double-double of 16.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest for the Ignite. The 6-10 big fills out Houston's depth chart at power forward and center.
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