Nerves ahead of NBA Draft lottery for Victor Wembanyama: 'Grand slam of all grand slams'
CHICAGO – One of the representatives for a contending team for the No. 1 pick – the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs all have 14% odds of landing it at Tuesday's NBA Draft lottery – strolled into Wintrust Arena on Sunday afternoon to watch G League Elite Camp with a backpack and notebook in hand.
"Honestly man, I'm hoping it's a champagne bottle in my hands and not all of this stuff on Tuesday night around 9 o'clock," he said to me when asked the question I've been bouncing off everyone I come across in Chicago this week.
So, what are your thoughts on Tuesday night?
The lobby of the Marriott Marquis, the headquarters hotel for the draft combine bridged to the arena housing players, team reps and coaches, feels like a bunch of kids talking about Santa before he shows up to his chair at a mall.
Why?
Victor. Wembanyama.
Wemby.
The Frenchman with a 7-foot-3 frame and an 8-foot wingspan is the most surefire talent that the NBA has seen since one LeBron James, proclaimed as a king before even getting drafted, was a guarantee as the No. 1 pick 20 years ago to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Tuesday, whoever earns that right to the top selection is hoping that Wembanyama will be the savior to their franchise, and there's nobody with a negative thing to say about what one talent evaluator called "an unprecedented basketball talent."
There's an aura surrounding Wembanyama, and that's amplified by the fact that he hasn't taken the traditional college pathway to this point but instead has stayed in France, where he will be this week. No, Wembanyama won't be at the lottery or any combine activities this week because he's still in his season with Metropolitans 92, the LNB Pro A team in France, which has its regular-season finale on Tuesday before the league playoffs begin. All the 19-year-old has done in a pro international league is average 21.6 points on 47% shooting, 10.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in just over 32 minutes per game.
"He's nothing we have ever seen before in the game of basketball," one scout told FOX Sports as part of a running survey conducted with five talent evaluators from different NBA teams. "There are always changing eras of basketball, and right now we are in this space ball era where it's all about what you can do to space the floor. How do you combat that? With size and skill. Victor Wembanyama is one of one in those categories."
"He's literally going to save a front office's employment," another scout said of the team that wins the Wemby Sweepstakes.
Here are the six best odds for Tuesday's draw of the ping-pong balls:
Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs – 14%
Charlotte Hornets – 12.5%
Portland Trail Blazers – 10.5%
Orlando Magic – 9.0%
While a rich debate continues on the No. 2 and 3 picks in the draft, with the two most likely candidates being 19-year-old Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite) and top college prospect, Alabama's Brandon Miller, that discussion isn't going anywhere and will continue to be a hot topic in the coming weeks, in addition to the development of anyone else who could emerge in that conversation.
There's a wide-open nature to this class, one that's received mixed reviews ahead of time and could hold value for those picking deeper in the first round and into the second because of the level of variance at the moment. That's what makes the combine such an intriguing one because there is a high degree of unknown.
But for now, Tuesday night is the clear focus. Wembanyama even publicized what everyone is chatting about on Twitter, posting in French: "10 days before knowing my future team. It's really a crazy thing."
Need some numbers to back up all the talk about the No. 1 pick?
His team, Metropolitans 92, has never reached the LNB Pro A championship game but currently sits in second place in the standings. Wembanyama is at the top of the league in both scoring (21.6 points per game) and rebounding (10.5), a feat no player has achieved in at least the last two decades. But unlike anyone at his height in basketball history, Wembanyama's perimeter skills are in a class of their own. He's made 87 3-pointers in his career.
"The guy is a f---ing freak man," one scout said. "In a draft class with guys who have glaring holes – upside, but holes – I think what we as NBA guys who study these prospects have said from the beginning to our front offices is to just trust us on this evaluation. It's the grand slam of all grand slams."
Kevin Danna, the voice of the Santa Cruz Warriors, the G League affiliate of Golden State, has taken on a dual assignment this season broadcasting Wembanyama's games in France from his home in California. The No. 1 pick's contests with Metropolitans 92 have aired on the NBA app. Danna is in Chicago for some of the combine action this week, but is calling Wembanyama's final regular season game against Paris Basketball on Tuesday from his hotel room in Chicago.
"I've done around 30 of Wemby's games this year, and most times, once or twice in a game, he does something that makes me say, ‘I have never seen that before,'" Danna told FOX Sports on Saturday. "He's constantly innovating on the court and his IQ is through the roof. He leads his leagues in scoring, blocks and rebounds, but his passing is super underrated. He just has a great feel for where his teammates are. The low handle he has, he can go between the legs multiple times and just get defenders off balance. I've seen him go with a pull up off one foot with a running 3."
"You try to ask people who to compare him to, and they say Ralph Sampson and Kevin Durant or Giannis [Antetokounmpo] or a little [Kristaps] Porzingis. But right now, he's one of one. With respect to the hype he has, and not going the NCAA route, I think five years ago, we in America missed the boat on Luka Doncic. We said he wasn't DeAndre [Ayton] in the 2018 draft. DeAndre got more clout because he was at Arizona, even though Luka's team Real Madrid would have beaten DeAndre's team at Arizona by 30 points. We sometimes get predisposed with college basketball to the point that the international game hasn't always gotten the respect it deserves. But Victor has grown a respect factor in the league because we do have the power of broadcasting his games and clipping those highlights, and the way the media and social has amplified him, there are more and more eyeballs now to build that respect."
So, as excitement for Tuesday builds, there is a real electricity around McCormick Place in Chicago's South Loop, and there's one thing for certain: One NBA organization definitely won't be doing much work following the lottery, but will be on the hunt for Chicago's best Italian steakhouse that can seat them.
"I packed anything lucky I can wear on Tuesday," one team representative said. "If we can win this thing, why stop the party then? Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will feature celebrations too. There's the 1984 draft with Akeem Olajuwon, Sam Bowie, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Charles Barkley and more. Then there's the 1997 draft with Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups and others. The LeBron and Carmelo [Anthony] one in 2003 was the last big one. But in this one, there's no denying who the top pick is. And we haven't seen anything like this guy.
We're watching basketball history on Tuesday night. I pray we're on the right side of it."
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
