Victor Wembanyama conquered the US in just two games, thanks to his crazy performances. Since then, almost everyone in the NBA has given their opinion on the young Frenchman, including Shaquille O’Neal who gave his verdict on the big man at the microphone of Bein Sports.
We know it for good since last week, Victor Wembanyama should barring cataclysm be the first choice of the 2023 draft. The French pivot shone with a thousand lights for his first matches across the Atlantic, releasing two big performances against Team Ignite . Between his absolutely crazy technical qualities for his position and his physical measurements that go beyond comprehension, some see him as the biggest prospect since LeBron Jamesjust that.
The King himself dubbed him after his show, just like Kevin Durant who was amazed by his level of play as well as several other superstars. Suffice to say that the V has already put a lot of people in the pocket! On the side of Shaquille o’Neal, we want to be a little more cautious about the nugget of Boulogne-Levallois. Passing through Abu Dhabi for the pre-season, the Big Diesel thus held the following speech at the microphone of Bein Sports and Rémi Reverchon:
Shaq: “Wembanyama still has a big test ahead of him”
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🎙 Shaquille O’Neal: “Wembanyama is really good!”#NBAextra pic.twitter.com/vLxhs7oZMd— NBAextra (@NBAextra) October 8, 2022
Yeah, I saw his highlights, he was very good. He has a great touch, he is long. But the real test for him is when he goes to the next level. Is he going to be able to handle the pressure and all that goes with it? When you face a guy like that, you want to run into him. In all the actions I’ve seen from him, he’s the one who gets in on the job, not the other way around.
But in the NBA, there will be Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo the Greek Freak… There is going to be level in adversity, so if he can handle that pressure, then I wish him success.
The Hall of Famer may be different from Wembz on a physical level, he too had landed in the NBA with a rather fascinating athletic and technical profile and is therefore well placed to talk about it. According to him, it remains to be proven that the Habs can survive against the superstars, given that they have faced only G-League players. However, Shaqfu is optimistic and sees the hype around him in a good light:
He is so young. It’s good for him to have so many expectations, it’s good for the business. But at some point he’s going to have to show that he can live up to expectations because you the media are pushing him up and one day maybe you’re going to bring him down. It’s part of the game, so he will have to prove that he is able to face this aspect of the game. But if he has the mind, if he is a pro, it will be fine for him.
Shaquille O’Neal is still a little cautious about Victor Wembanyama, aware that the latter has not yet rubbed shoulders with the NBA. But even the Big Diesel sees great things in the nugget of the Mets, which can be delighted.