Spurs take Wembanyama at No. 1: How he fits in

He san antonio spurs selected French phenom Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:

• The 19-year-old Wembanyama was the consensus pick for the No. 1 pick and is considered a generational talent.
• The 7-foot-4 center broke out with the French professional team Metropolitans 92 this season, averaging 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.
• the spurs won the rights to the first pick in the May NBA Draft lottery. San Antonio had the last No. 1 pick in 1997, when the team selected future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan.

the athleticInstant analysis of:

scan report

The best draft prospect to enter the nba from Lebron James. It’s that easy. Wembanyama is the epitome of a franchise changer. He led the French league in rebounds and blocks and was second in points. It’s hard to overstate how incredible Wembanyama’s long-term potential is at both ends of the pitch. He’ll immediately be the biggest and longest player in the NBA, which allows him to change the geometry of the court defensively. He has great instincts and resilience in that regard. But he’s also a legitimate shot creator in the middle who can score creatively off the rebound and hit shots with ease off pull-ups or shots to the rim. He’s an excellent inside finisher because of his length and touch, and he’s already beginning to experiment with shots that might make him special, like spin pull-ups, false-spin shimmies, and float 3s. He is a storied prospect, one in the tapestry of elite core prospects of the past like Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Ralph Sampson, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and antonio davis. — All

How Wembanyama fits in with Spurs

Wembanyama suits all teams. He is the fit. He is the player you build around. San Antonio has found some strong players in the last half of the lottery and the final part of the first round, but the Spurs are still without a star. Wembanyama slides everyone into more suitable roles. devin vassell and keldon johnson they can be high-level young wings who don’t get the best defensive assignments. Wembanyama will fit perfectly alongside jeremy sochan in the frontcourt with Sochan as a gap filler who was productive as a teenage rookie. He’ll be able to creep up as a scorer as he continues to rework his shot. Spurs made a beautiful transition from the Robinson era to the Duncan era and now they slide seamlessly into the Wembanyama era. — All

background

Wembanyama has long been considered one of the best prospects in his age group. His father, Felix, was a 6-foot-6 high-level long jumper. His mother, Elodie, was 6-foot-3 and played basketball and helped teach Victor the game. He has two brothers, both of whom play basketball, grew up in the suburbs of Paris and joined the Nanterre 92 development team at a young age.

Wembanyama emerged as an elite prospect for nba teams at the European Under-16 Championship in 2019, where he averaged nine points, 10 rebounds and five blocks per game as a 15-year-old.

As anticipation built around Wembanyama over the final year before the draft, the NBA hosted an exhibition game for Wembanyama and potential No. 2 pick Scoot Henderson in September 2022. After two games between the Metropolitans 92 and Henderson’s G League Ignite, Wembanyama left scouts salivating and amazed, scoring 37 points in the first game and then scoring 36 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the second. — All

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(Photo: Christophe Archambault/ AFP via Getty Images)