The NBA has never seen a prospect like Victor Wembanyama before. The 19-year-old born in suburban Paris will be both the tallest and longest player in the league next year. No one with his size has ever moved so gracefully on a basketball court. No one has ever been this skilled with the ball in their hands while also being this big, this fluid, and this young.
35 Victor Wembanyama plays that prove he’s one of the best NBA Draft prospects ever
Let’s rank Victor Wembanyama’s 35 most mind-blowing plays in France ahead of the NBA Draft.
Photo by Christian Liewig - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Wembanyama will be the No. 1 overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs when the 2023 NBA Draft happens on June 22. While the rest of the prospects in this draft class have been done playing for months, Wembanyama just finished out his season with Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 by leading the team to the finals of the top pro league in France.
Wembanyama would have been in the first pick in the draft off physical tools alone, but the fact that he also won MVP of LNB Pro A only cements his status as an all-time great prospect. To watch Wemby this season in France is to see something you’ve never seen before every single night. We’ve been collecting those plays all year.
Before the 2023 NBA Draft, here are the 35 most ridiculous plays from Wembanyama’s season with Mets 92. We ranked them just for you.
No. 35 A closeout attack and a dunk
Easy pump-fake-and-go for the 7’5 guy.
No. 34 Pump-and-go again
Too easy.
No. 33 Another coast-to-coast
Sure.
No. 32 Euro-steps two defenders for the dunk
No one this big should also be this fluid.
No. 31 A steal and a dunk
That huge wingspan is going to help him get so many deflections in the passing lane.
No. 30 Stonewalling a shot at the rim
Just imagine how intimidating he’s going to be as he gains weight.
No. 29 A quick spin in the post for a dunk
Go, go gadget arms.
No. 28 Wemby dunks home a game-winner
No better game-winning play than that.
No. 27 Wemby splashes the turnaround jumper
That’s a pretty easy ATO.
No. 26 Blows up the pick-and-roll, switches, stuffs the shot
This man is the human eraser.
No. 25 Side-step contested three
It’s incredible to watch anyone pull off this move. Especially so for a guy who will be the tallest player in the NBA.
No. 24 Behind-the-back dime to a teammate
Yeah, he can pass, too.
No. 23 Wemby blocks a three
Good luck shooting over an 8-foot wingspan.
No. 22 A ridiculous touch pass for an open dunk
Wemby is going to get so many volleyball-like tip passes with touch like this.
No. 21 Hustle play to save the ball, get the seal, and the slam
Wemby’s high motor is one of the most impressive things about his game.
No. 20 Shot creation and the flush
Wemby is never far away from a slam, even when he’s cooking as a dribbler on the perimeter.
No. 19 An effortless stepback three
He did this in the Finals against the best team in France. Straight cash.
No. 18 A tip pass for an open three
How?
No. 17 Wemby smothers the rim and goes coast-to-coast
Wemby is going to prevent so many good looks at the rim from even happening. Oh by the way: once he blocks your shot, he’s off pushing the ball for a bucket the other way.
No. 16 Smooth side-step three
Silky.
No. 15 The rip, the euro, and the slam
Looking like a 7’5 wing in this one.
No. 14 A falling runner from three
Just mind-blowing stuff. Not much else left to say.
No. 13 Wembanyama tip-dunks his own missed shot
Wemby throwing lobs to himself off the glass could break the league.
No. 12 And-one on the baseline fade
Here’s a prediction: Wembanyama is going take and make a lot of mid-range shots early in his career. The makes like this one will be beautiful.
No. 11 Coast-to-coast for the dunk
“Don’t stand on the tracks when the train’s coming through.”
No. 10 Clutch shot-creation off the bounce
Wembanyama’s ball handling on the perimeter is just so impressive. He doesn’t need to get all the close to the rim to dunk it, either!
No. 9 Casual side-step three
Did we mention he’s 7’5?
No. 8 A logo three
This man has RANGE.
No. 7 Wemby puts on a ball handling clinic, and makes the and-one
Sure.
No. 6 Blocks the three, hits a jumper
Most people think of rim protection as happening ... at the rim. Makes sense. But Wemby’s length and mobility on the perimeter is going to allow him to block so many threes. When it happens, he’s off and running to beat you on the other end.
No. 5 Wembanyama schools defender on an island
Clear out one side of the floor and let the 7’5 guy go to work. Nothing you can do about that.
No. 4 Stuffing a fast break
The rim can’t shield you from Wemby. Nothing will.
3. Wembanyama breaks up transition alley-oop
You can throw a fastbreak lob over most defenders. Not the guy with the 8-foot wingspan.
No. 2 The one-footed runner from three that broke that internet
Not even the most skilled shooters in the NBA are audacious enough to regularly attempt a floater from three-point range in a game. This will be the ultimate “no, no, no, YES” shot in the NBA for Wemby, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it one day becomes a real part of his arsenal.
No. 1 Tip-dunking his own missed step-back three
When I told my some friends about this play, they didn’t believe it. A guy juked some defenders on the perimeter, bounced into a step-back three, followed his own miss and tip-dunked it? And he’s 7’5? How is that even possible?
To watch Wemby is to see things on a basketball court that have never been done before. This is the chief example.
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