Victor Wembanyama - the hype hits the NBA
Victor Wembanyama finally starts in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday - does he justify the hype?
Transcript
00:00 The league has never seen anything like it.
00:02 Just like the league never saw anything like LeBron came in.
00:05 They never saw anything like Michael when Michael came in.
00:09 I think this is the next guy to carry the league.
00:12 This is the next guy to carry the league.
00:15 [Music]
00:39 I can't really describe it, you know.
00:40 Still fresh.
00:42 Probably the best night of my life.
00:44 I've been dreaming about this for so long.
00:46 It's just a dream come true.
00:48 He's Victor, and that's who I want him to be.
00:51 And that's who myself and our staff will coach.
00:55 Of course, anybody would be excited about getting the number one pick in a draft,
00:59 so I'm very excited.
01:01 You don't want me to jump up and down, do you?
01:03 Put on a show for you?
01:06 I'd do a somersault, but I'd be out for three months.
01:09 Victor, a lot of people talk about him.
01:11 He's a very, very talented player.
01:13 He's the best.
01:14 We're in his room.
01:15 So, yeah, he's going to have a great impact wherever he goes.
01:20 He's going to be great.
01:21 I don't know how you guard him.
01:24 I've never looked that little compared to somebody.
01:29 It was crazy.
01:30 I mean, just how skilled he is.
01:32 He's so agile on his feet.
01:34 He can move his feet well.
01:36 It's unseen.
01:39 It's more than just being the number one player.
01:43 I think he can become one of the best players in the world.
01:46 He's going to be number one for sure.
01:49 But what's important for him, like any other young player,
01:54 is to try to support him so he can progress in the best conditions
01:58 and help him go as far as he can.
02:01 To be able to play with someone who's as dynamic as Victor,
02:04 you can play inside and out.
02:08 It's crazy to see.
02:10 But I think he's going to be a force in the NBA once he learns the flow of the game,
02:17 the style of play.
02:18 He has a lot of pressure on his back too because now they're looking at him
02:21 to be the guy to bring the Spurs back to the caliber team that they were.
02:24 I feel like for him he had it good.
02:27 He was playing pro for a couple of years, so he's got the intensity part of basketball.
02:32 He's traveled the world to play ball.
02:34 So I think in that aspect I think he'll be fine,
02:36 especially with the way he's been playing in the summer league and preseason.
02:39 You can see that he's not afraid, that he's going to do what he's supposed to do.
02:43 It's not a fluke.
02:44 He's one of the hottest rookies of all time.
02:47 I think he's definitely an anomaly.
02:49 There's not too many 7'5" dudes that can move like him.
02:53 Obviously we'll see other people with other attributes,
02:56 but I think for him specifically, he's so tall and he's got such a long reach
03:02 that he affects the game in so many different ways.
03:05 It's going to be cool to see him develop.
03:08 KD, like a big-time shot blocker.
03:11 Maybe even like Dirk, we've got to shoot one leg here, shoot the one leg.
03:15 It's a mixture of a lot of players. I don't know. It's crazy.
03:18 I find it fun when these new caliber players come out,
03:22 like the Yokages, the Giannis, the Victor.
03:25 There's five, six times at the game where you're just shaking your head
03:28 about how amazing the things that he does.
03:31 As soon as he starts doing those things more, he's going to be unstoppable.
03:35 This guy is the real deal.
03:37 Sometimes a guy can be pubbed up so much, and then he doesn't meet the expectations.
03:42 But much like LeBron, when LeBron came into the league,
03:45 I'll never forget it. He lived up to all of the expectations.
03:48 I think this kid is the same way.
03:51 [MUSIC]
03:54 (dramatic music)
03:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]