Victor Wembanyama, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick for the 2023 NBA Draft, absolutely delighted Tuesday night in Henderson, Nevada. Despite his team’s loss, the 18-year-old Frenchman logged 37 points, five blocks, four rebounds, and one steal, with approximately 200 NBA executes and scouts in attendance.
He buried seven of his 11 triples and particularly dominated the second half, when Metropolitans 92 completed a double-digit comeback to tie the game in the fourth before losing by seven, 122-115, to G League Ignite and Scoot Henderson, the likely No. 2 pick in 2023.
He is considered one of, if not the, preeminent prospects of the past two decades. As such, at least one person around the league expects teams to jockey for draft position unlike anything before to maximize their chances of selecting him next summer.
“Victor distorts basketball reality,” one GM told ESPN on Wednesday. “The tank/trade market will really shift after that showing. It feels like last night will start a race to the bottom like we’ve never seen.”
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony, a GM whose team could hold the 2023 No. 1 pick, told them “[Wembanyama] is a 7-foot-4 [Kevin] Durant who blocks shots — and he’s not even close to what he’s going to be. He will be the most hyped player since LeBron [James].”
Wembanyama dominated Tuesday and will have the chance to do so again Thursday afternoon, when he and Henderson clash again at noon local time inside Dollar Loan Center.
