Victor Wembanyama took the world by storm during the 2024 Paris Olympics, while USA basketball has seemingly unearthed a diamond in the rough with 17-year-old Cooper Flagg.
Miami Heat small forward Jaime Jaquez, Jr., also seems to see the potential in the young gun but believes he still needs to prove his talent a bit more.
TMZ Sports interviewed Jaquez, who was was ambushed at an airport. The interviewer asked him about Flagg as a draft prospect.
“I mean, we’ll see. There’s probably one way to find out: he’s got to go and play,” Jaquez said. “Man, he’s an incredible talent, an incredible player, great person. So who knows, man, we’ll see.”
Jaquez was also asked if Flagg could reach the same star power as Victor Wembanyama and LeBron James when they were first drafted into the NBA. He seemingly provided a safe answer.
“I mean, those (Wemby and LeBron) are great. Yeah, like I said, only time will tell. I wish him (Flagg) the best. We’ll see when it’s all said and done,” Jaquez said.
The young player has had the opportunity to scrimmage with Team USA before the Paris Olympics. In the practice session, Cooper Flagg went viral after putting his skills on display against tried-and-tested NBA defenders like Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, and Jrue Holiday.
Cooper Flagg is eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft and is expected to be the first overall pick. He’s currently drawing comparisons with Wembanyama, who was the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, selected by the San Antonio Spurs.
Victor Wembanyama’s longevity is a concern, said former champions
Victor Wembanyama has already proven formidable in the NBA, and his fellow Frenchman, four-time NBA champion Tony Parker, has high hopes for his career.
The NBA legend even compared Wemby’s case to LeBron James’s, whom many had high expectations for when he entered the league.
“He’s (Wemby) not bothered by the pressure or the expectations, he’s a little bit like LeBron,” Parker said in a Yahoo Sports interview. “The only one I can compare with so much expectation before your arrival is LeBron James. I think he’s the only one you can really compare.”
While Parker raved about Wembanyama’s potential in the NBA, he was also worried about the young center’s health. He expressed his concern in the same interview.
“That’s the only worry. If I had to say one thing, is, ‘Can he sustain this through the years and stay healthy at that body at 7’4″?” Parker said. “Can you play 15, 20 years and play the whole year with the Spurs and then every summer with the national team? Can you do that with that body?”
Another NBA personality who’s concerned for Wemby’s longevity in the NBA is one-time NBA champion Kendrick Perkins. Seeing Wemby’s body as “lanky,” the center-turned-sports-analyst wondered if the young center could hold up long term.
“It’s a thing to think about when you think about Victor Wembanyama being 7-foot-4, and how long his career’s actually going to be,” Perkins said. “If you look at the history of guys [like] Yao Ming, these long guys, they didn’t have very long careers. So, I wonder how much will we see of Victor Wembanyama dominating on both ends of the floor. That’s gonna be a question.”
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