2024-04-22 20:37:45
Not much has really changed since the days when, in the schoolyard, Victor Wembanyama was chosen first by his classmates to form a basketball team. But this time, it’s the NBA players who say it. Interviewed anonymously by the American media The Athletic (the 3rd survey of this type after those of 2019 and 2023), the professional basketball players of the prestigious American league were visibly impressed by the first six months of competition of the French prodigy.
Victor Wembanyama entered last year’s draft with enormous hype.
And it’s safe to say he delivered on the hype in his rookie season in the eyes of his peers.
He’s the ideal franchise building block, according to our anonymous poll. pic.twitter.com/flApx0MYGL
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 22, 2024
38 of 136 players (27.9%) surveyed placed Wemby first when asked who they would offer a contract to first in order to build the team around him. Wembanyama is a short head ahead of double MVP Nikola Jokic (27.2%), but the others are far behind (Edwards 10%; Doncic 9%).
This shows the impression left by the former Mets 92 player on his opponents this season. During an interview with The Ringer last week, he said that he regularly received messages from other basketball players telling him they wanted to play on the same team…
He’s already increased Spurs’ value by $500 million
“He moves so fluidly,” one of the voters justified. And he’s focused on what really matters. » The Frenchman’s age also obviously counted. He is only 20 years old, which gives him a clear advantage over Jokic (29) when it comes to building a squad for the future. “You can have it with you for the next 20 years,” one player imagined. If he stays healthy and continues to progress, he’s going to be a great one. I don’t put any ceiling over his head. »
Other young basketball players did not receive as many votes (Edwards, Gilgeous-Alexander, Tatum). Victor Wembanyama has everything of the “franchise player”, this player around whom a franchise builds for his performances on the floor but also his role as leader and his ability to bring the entire club into a new dimension. This is all that is promised to Victor Wembanyama, who has already increased the value of Spurs by $500 million.
Wemby topped another ranking: that of best defender. While the official NBA trophy, awarded by journalists, is promised to Rudy Gobert in front of Victor Wembanyama, the players do not hesitate much: the Spurs rookie is already the terror to avoid near the circle. 15% (20 players) of the 132 votes went to him.
Rudy Gobert the most… overrated player in the NBA
“He makes things so difficult to conclude near the circle,” testifies a player in The Athletic. “He changes the game,” adds another. I’m not going to say that the players are afraid, but in any case they change their shot choices. He deserves to be a better defender. » “Some guys don’t even try to score in the circle when they see him,” adds a last one, referring in particular to the match against Memphis in March.
Rudy Gobert continues to be the unloved of the League. 11 of 81 players surveyed voted him the most overrated player. Among the other questions, we note that Jokic would be the MVP (41%), Jordan would be the best of all time ahead of LeBron James (46% against 42%), Popovich the 2nd coach for whom basketball players would like to play (19%, behind Erik Spoelstra of Miami, 20%), and Tom Thibodeau (New York) the coach for whom… no one would like to play (46%). Evan Fournier, put on the shelf by the Knicks coach for a year and a half, would certainly not say the opposite.
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