How Spurs' Victor Wembanyama Can 'Break Basketball'
A pair of Summer League performances in Las Vegas wasn't enough to cease the idea of Victor Wembanyama's dominance on an NBA level. He has been touted as the "greatest prospect in history," and the publicity has created lofty expectations for Wembanyama entering his first year.
No one knows what to expect from Wembanyama when he begins his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs in October. But Bleacher Report believes the French phenom has the potential to "break the sport of basketball," should Wembanyama surpass the lofty expectations.
"It's hard to say anything about Wembanyama without sounding like you're speaking in hyperbolic superlatives," Bleacher Report writes. "He has once-in-a-generation upside with a never-before seen blend of size, skill and mobility. If he shoots consistently from three, he might break the sport of basketball.
While appearing in two of the Spurs' Summer League games, Wembanyama averaged 18.0 points on 41 percent shooting from the field and 10.0 rebounds.
Wembanyama may have struggled on the offensive end. But his performance in Las Vegas was enough to showcase his potential to break the game on the defensive end.
Wembanyama averaged 4.0 blocks during the two games played. And given his 7-5 frame, Wembanyama could quickly establish himself as the league's best rim-protector.
Houston Rockets legend and Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon holds the league's all-time record in blocks with 3,830. Olajuwon's record has always been deemed as unbreakable. But "breaking the sport" would mean that Wembanyama could dethrone Olajuwon as the NBA's All-Time shot-blocker.
Wembanyama's potential is similar to that of LeBron James, who broke the game of basketball due to his longevity and dominance since 2003.
In February, James became the NBA's All-Time leader in points after surpassing the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whose record was deemed unbreakable since 1984.
You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter @Cotydavis_24.
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