Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs will start his rookie year in the NBA with great expectations. This becomes added pressure for the French player and former Los Angeles Lakers center Mychal Thompson feels that the hype is ridiculous.
The father of Golden State Warriors hotshot Klay Thompson knows what it means to be in the spotlight with great expectations. He was the top pick of the 1978 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers (1987 and 1988).
By comparison, Mychal Thompson and Victor Wembanyama are top picks but entered the NBA in different circumstances and eras. In his eyes, the hype and huge expectations that hoop junkies have put on the 7-foot-4 cager are unfair.
The 68-year-old NBA legend shared his thoughts when he spoke to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.
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"There are no similarities to me. When I came into this league, nobody cared. He has come into this league as the most hyped prospect in NBA history. It's even more so than LeBron because of social media and the exposure he has had in the last few years...To say he is the greatest prospect ever is ridiculous. They're putting him over LeBron and even Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Wilt Chamberlain," Thompson quipped.
All that aside, the Bahamian national believes that Victor Wembanyama will be a great player and be among the greats and also a future Hall of Famer. However, Wemby needs time to grow before proving that he deserves to be among the greatest to play the game.
"He's going to be an excellent player. He's going to be a Hall-of-Famer. He's going to be a multiple-time All-Star. But give the kid a chance to grow before you claim him to be the NBA savior. He's going to be great. But give him a chance to grow," Thompson added.
Like LeBron James and even Michael Jordan, Wembanyama cannot do it alone. He joins a team in rebuild mode, and the San Antonio Spurs need to surround him with help.
So far, the Spurs have promising players such as Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Keldon Johnson. However, it remains to be seen if they can complement the top pick of the 2023 NBA Draft and vice versa.
The 2023-24 NBA season will be an adjustment period for the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama. Hence, San Antonio may only be starting and making bigger moves by 2025, The Athletic suggested.
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