To this point, the only players that Victor Wembanyma has been compared to are former San Antonio Spurs greats or other unicorn prospects. However, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard has thrown another name in the hat.
Damian Lillard Offers Scouting Report of Victor Wembanyama
“I think he’s special,” Lillard says of Wembanyama while making an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.
“When I first started to see him, the first thing you think is height. I could see that he was clearly a good basketball player, but it was so much hype around him… he’s so tall and long, the game is so fast, how’s he gonna do in the NBA?
“…He’s got a little twitch with him,” Lillard continues, as he offers his scouting report on the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. “Even though he’s tall and lanky he moves quick… is fluid. He’s doing things you just haven’t seen somebody do at that size before.”
As for his Wembanyama comparison?
“I think we’ve always been extremely impressed with Kevin Durant doing it at 6-foot-11,” Lillard says. “Now you have a dude who is 7-foot-5 doing the same thing.”
Best Player in the NBA?
Taking it a step further, Lillard offers an even broader perspective of Wembanyama’s future outlook.
“I think how competitive he is,” says Lillard, “is what surprised me the most. And that’s what makes me think that very soon I can see him being the best player in the league.”
Lillard’s words confirm what many have been thinking. The most recent discourse has focused on Wembanyama as a player who has the potential to be the face of the league. One of the thoughts, when he was drafted, was that he had the potential to be the best player in the league one day. Even this early in his career, he’s done plenty to prove that.
Wembanyama averages a double-double with 20.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. leading all rookies in both categories. The 20-year-old leads the entire NBA with 3.4 blocks per game.
Like Wembanyama, Durant entered the league as one of its wonders.
The lanky scorer stood at 6-foot-10 and made the game look far too easy. The only thing that’s changed about his scouting report since then is that he’s grown an inch and has learned to use his length on the defensive end.
Had he not been part of LeBron James’ generation, he may have been considered the best player in the league too. A 14-time All-Star and 10-time All-NBA selection, Durant has won an MVP award (2014) and two NBA championships. He ranks in the top 10 in both career points (28,577) and points per game (27.3).
