An incomparable combination of skills and size have made the 19-year-old Frenchman a generational prospect with can’t-miss expectations unseen since LeBron James.
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA, FranceAn incomparable combination of skills and size have made the French star a generational prospect with can’t-miss expectations unseen since LeBron James. He can roam the perimeter, handle the ball and shoot off the dribble like a guard, but his length helps him score over defenders inside along with racking up blocked shots and deflections. And with San Antonio holding the top pick, he’ll soon be under the tutelage of a five-time NBA champion in Gregg Popovich.
Among his countless highlights, one play from April stands out: the sight of Wembanyama missing an off-the-dribble stepback 3-pointer – only to fly in and tip dunk his own miss.Essentially none. The 19-year-old could probably stand to add strength to handle physical defenders.The lean 7-foot-1 freshman arrived at Duke as 247sports’ second-ranked national recruit and came on in the season’s second half as a strong rim protector nimble enough to defend in open space.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Tuesday that Lively’s role “directly translates” as a modern big capable of handling defensive switches and being a lob threat. “I think that’s the hardest adjustment for a lot of college players: They’re used to always having the ball in their hands and always scoring,” Scheyer said. “… For him, it can be seamless. I know obviously you can talk about potential with him, but I think about readiness with him because of what he’s done this past year and who he is as a player.”The 19-year-old wasn’t a dominant rebounder despite his length .
Defensively, he ranked fourth nationally in blocked shots with a 7-1 wingspan, making him a well-rounded interior presence who could hear his name called in the back half of the first round.He’s a bit undersized for an interior-focused player who has shown little range outside of 15 feet. He’s a career 67.6% shooter at the foul line who never hit 70% in a season, and his 3-point history consists entirely of going 0 for 3 as a junior. He also is one of the oldest prospects at 23 years old.
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