On NBA Today, Kendrick Perkins discussed Victor Wembanyama. Wemby responded with three when asked how many NBA titles he would win in his career, citing the league’s increased competition and doubts about his ability to stay a big man as potential contributing causes.
“After everything is said and done, I think Victor Wembanyama will win three championships. But it won’t be simple, is it? He will continue to play in the same league as young bulls like Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, and others who are pursuing the same objective.”
“But I wonder (if) it’s a thing to think about – when you think of Victor Wembanyama being 7’5, right, and how long his career is actually going to be.”
“You can see that the men who came before Yao Ming and these long players didn’t have very long careers. Thus, I’m curious to see how much Victor Wembanyama will continue to control play on both ends of the court. That will be the subject of inquiry. However, I can already predict that, if healthy, he will win three titles.
Here, Perkins actually raises a number of insightful issues. Even though he mentioned rising stars like Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, and Jayson Tatu, it’s vital to keep in mind that many of them are significantly older than he is. Wemby is at least four years older than any of the players. The fact that Wemby is unique among his age group of peers—perhaps with the exception of Chet Holmgren—says something about his character.
In the League, how far can Wembanyama advance?
Players the size of Victor Wembanyama typically don’t play in the NBA for very long, at least not consistently, as Perkins pointed out. Shaquille O’Neal, who spent nearly 20 years playing in the NBA, may be the lone exception in this regard.
But Shaq was so powerful in his peak that an NBA player who was diminished might still be regarded as decent, if not adequate.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that players can now take better care of themselves than they ever could have in the past, and sports medicine is at a unique crossroads. LeBron James, a 39-year-old athlete, is still among the greatest in the world because of his exceptional self-maintenance.
Wemby has the potential to become the most dominant player in the NBA if he can keep improving his game and add more muscle to his frame. He might adopt the strategy used by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis had a relatively modest build when he first joined the NBA, but he quickly gained a ton of muscle to establish himself as one of the league’s dominant players.
In his outstanding rookie campaign, Wemby averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. In addition to earning Rookie of the Year at the end of the campaign, he also came in second to fellow countryman Rudy Gobert in the Defensive Player of the Year competition. The foundation for what might be a phenomenal career was laid during his rookie season.