As soon as the San Antonio Spurs knew they were going to have the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, every basketball fan pretty much knew what was going to happen next.
Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 alien from France was going to play for one of the greatest basketball coaches of all-time, Gregg Popovich. The LeBron James-Wembanyama comparisions were already being made.
As soon as Wembanyama entered the league, he’s been nothing but phenomenal with his ability to shoot from anywhere and shot block. One former NBA guard is already putting Wembanyama in unprecedented territory.
Jeff Teague’s Bold Prediction on Wembanyama’s G.O.A.T Status
Jeff Teague, now a host of the ‘Club 520 Podcast’ on YouTube, talks everything NBA.
He weighed in on where Wembanyama could end up when his career is all set and done.
“He’s on pace to be one of the greatest shot blockers ever, probably the greatest shot blocker ever.” – Jeff Teague
Knowing what we’ve seen so far with Wembanyama, this is territory that’s extremely possible for him to get to. Someone with his frame and wingspan alone has the capability to present himself as one of the shot blockers ever. His rookie year was already enough for us to believe the high ceiling we all expected is right in front of him.
Hakeem Olajuwon leads the NBA in all-time blocks with 3,830. His average number was an eye-catching 3.09 blocks a game in his 18-year career.
This is definitely a number that’s in reach for Wembanyama, but he’s got to continue to perform at a high level on the defensive end in his early career while he can maintain his health.
Jeff Teague Claims Victor Wembanyama’s Height May End Up Hindering His Success
Wembanyama’s health is not as much of a concern compared to his height.
Teague analyzed this as a way of saying that there haven’t been too many players above 7 feet tall to have a consistent, dominant career to last two decades.
“He’s too tall bro. At some point, it’s like Yao Ming, something’s got to give…Every great athlete goes down with an injury at some point.”
‘B Hen’ brought up a point saying that only few guys such as Kevin Willis was a 7-foot guy who lasted until he was 44 years old.
Dirk Nowitzki is a Hall of Fame player who played 20 seasons, all with the Mavericks. There were injuries he had to go through during his prime and during the latter part of his career, but it also pretty obvious that he had to change up his rhythm during the last two years of his career.
Yao Ming was someone who was forced to retire early to injuries that plagued the prime of his career. Yao was forced to retire when he was 30.
Someone like James is a rarity, playing now for 22 seasons with no real signs of slowing down. James might just have just the perfect frame combined with the right conditioning to get by for over two decades.
For guys who are 7-foot-4, Wembanyama’s height might be the only thing that hinders his career. Continuing to use his body to his advantage has to be emphasized within the Spurs organization. He has to be able to adjust to whenever he gets older and whenever his body changes in order for him to become that great shot blocker that Teague was talking about.
Wembanyama has the ability to become one of the greatest players of all-time, no doubt about it. However, Teague is right by saying there has been a trend of guys above 7-foot to have injury problems to hinder their legacy. As long as Wembanyama is training and eating the right way, he’ll end up being one of the greatest of all-time.
