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Who is Victor Wembanyama? Why is he the No. 1 NBA prospect?

Here’s a look at Victor Wembanyama, the once-in-a-generation NBA prospect from France.

By Spencer Limbach
Levallois Met 92 v Strasbourg - LNB Pro A Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

There has never been an NBA prospect like Victor Wembanyama. You can compare certain aspects of his game to current professional players, but nobody has the same combination of size and skills.

Below, we’ll dive into what makes Wembanyama the No. 1 NBA prospect dubbed as a “generational talent” by many scouts.

Who is Victor Wembanayama? Why is he the No. 1 NBA prospect?

Wembanyama is a 7-5 professional basketball player from France who is widely projected to be the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He’s also considered to be one of the greatest prospects of his generation.

There are some disputes surrounding his height, but recent reports say that Wembanayama is 7-5 with shoes on — according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Jonathan Givony. He also has an 8-foot wingspan.

Wembanyama has excellent dribbling, passing, and shooting skills for his size, which is why he is considered a revolutionary talent that could transcend professional basketball. Think of a player with rim protection and rebounding skills like Rudy Gobert but with a smooth shooting stroke like Kevin Durant. Then stretch that player out to 7-5 with an 8-foot wingspan. That’s Wembanyama.

Here’s a taste of his recent highlights from NBA.com.

As you can see in that video, Wembanyama is pretty much a 7-5 Durant in his prime. It’s no wonder NBA scouts have dubbed him as a special talent as one of the most exciting prospects to come along in some time.

Wembanyama is 19 years old with plenty of room to develop. He will turn 20 in January of 2024. He’s an elite defender with a great dribbling skills and an evolving offensive game.

Because of his size, defenders have an extremely difficult time contesting his shot from distance and at the rim. Due to his ball-handling prowess, Wembanyama can get to the rim and use his size to finish without much resistance from defenders.

He has all the tools to be a star in the NBA, and Wembanyama could be one of the best players in the league for years to come.

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