The San Antonio Spurs franchise was built on the generational big men they were fortunate to land No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, and it seems like history is repeating itself once again.
The Spurs lucked out and drew the right to select Victor Wembanyama first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Wembanyama was touted all last year as the next-best player to walk into the league, and so far he has delivered on those high expectations as he’s made an impact for the Spurs since he made his debut.
With his height, mobility and skill, Wembanyama is someone the league has never seen and his potential is off the charts.
San Antonio fans have spent the past few years watching mediocre basketball, but now they’ve got a true franchise player to build around for the long term.
Wembanyama has several leaps to make as a player, but Kendrick Perkins is already convinced he’ll be a better defender than Shaquille O’Neal via ESPN.
“He’s going to have a bigger impact than Shaq defensively,” Perkins said.
“He’s going to have a bigger impact than Shaq defensively.”@kendrickperkins on Victor Wembanyama in comparison to Shaquille O’Neal. pic.twitter.com/bpdAZO7ltw
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 6, 2023
Perkins and the rest of the panel were asked to discuss the similarities between O’Neal and Wembanyama and Perkins notes that the France native is more of a finesse offensive player.
However, Perkins does have a point about the defensive end as Wembanyama’s got otherworldly length and instincts to lock down the painted area.
It’s not a knock against O’Neal who was a solid defender in his own right, but there are just things that Wembanyama can do that not many humans could even attempt.
NEXT:
Joy Taylor Compares Victor Wembanyama To Prolific NBA Scorer
