1 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:20,000 Wemby specifically, there was a question playing around on Twitter, when or if? 2 00:00:20,679 --> 00:00:23,559 When? Can when? Will Wenby be the best player in the NBA? 3 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,800 Or Ken Victor Wembenyam would be the best player in the NBA, And 4 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:30,239 like the when stuff, it was kind of memed where it's like, what 5 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,560 do you mean when? As in like future tense, but there are there 6 00:00:33,759 --> 00:00:37,560 was a level of pushback that surprising, where a lot of people seem to 7 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,960 truly believe that, aside from just you know, the frame concerns or whatever, 8 00:00:42,039 --> 00:00:44,399 that's just like, you know, I can't he's skinny, but he's 9 00:00:44,399 --> 00:00:47,240 put so much more into his body. They just don't think he's ever gonna 10 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:51,280 be the level of offensive player necessary to be the best player in the league. 11 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:56,000 And I'm curious as to what you think about Ken. I think the 12 00:00:56,119 --> 00:01:00,880 question is Ken Victor Wembenyama be the best player in the NBA? Point how 13 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,520 quickly do you think it would happen? What could prevent him from doing it? 14 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,560 Just what do you make of that entire sector of debate. I love 15 00:01:07,599 --> 00:01:11,200 this because I was unaware of this discussion, so I hopefully am coming to 16 00:01:11,239 --> 00:01:14,680 it without being influenced. Can he be the best player in the league, 17 00:01:14,719 --> 00:01:17,439 Like, of course, of course he can't. Like that's like, that's 18 00:01:17,519 --> 00:01:22,200 ridiculous that to say that he can he cannot. That that's like you're just 19 00:01:22,239 --> 00:01:26,560 wrong if you say he cannot the the like, So, I don't know, 20 00:01:26,599 --> 00:01:30,200 what are the odds that he has like an embid level of like injury 21 00:01:30,239 --> 00:01:34,799 frequency. I don't know what percentage you put that at. It's it's non 22 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:40,159 zero, it's real embiid has at times probably been regarded as the best player 23 00:01:40,159 --> 00:01:42,599 in the league. Anyway, So I don't know, I don't know how 24 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:46,159 how long How long does Wenby need to hold that title? Does it need 25 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,799 to be for a year? Like I think, like the So all that 26 00:01:49,879 --> 00:01:55,239 aside, what you're really asking is, like, so when the current like 27 00:01:55,680 --> 00:02:00,159 crop of the guys you consider that we talked about in MVP as the best 28 00:02:00,159 --> 00:02:04,480 player in the league are like aged out, is he going to be at 29 00:02:04,519 --> 00:02:07,519 the top of the group that is ascending now or that is you know, 30 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:09,439 you know, on the younger side, Like so that means he's got to 31 00:02:09,439 --> 00:02:16,319 be better in a couple of years than Luca Sga like Jannis probably or you 32 00:02:16,319 --> 00:02:20,039 know, I'm trying to I'm sure, I'm forgetting guys, but just you 33 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,879 know, going through going through the list of guys that are not gonna you 34 00:02:23,879 --> 00:02:27,479 know, Lebron will be gone, Curry will be gone. Uh why, 35 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,719 like all these guys are gonna diminish to where you don't talk about them that 36 00:02:30,759 --> 00:02:34,080 way. You got to think about Tatum and Booker and like, how much 37 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,719 better might they get over the next couple of years. I think I don't 38 00:02:37,759 --> 00:02:40,400 know what the percentage chance is absolutely when Minama can be the best player in 39 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,759 the league. And I think if you just if I had to guess, 40 00:02:44,039 --> 00:02:49,159 he could do it as soon as like his third year, maybe I don't 41 00:02:49,159 --> 00:02:53,000 know if it would happen next year. That seems like wildly ambitious, but 42 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,159 I wouldn't rule it out right, Like if he's if he is far and 43 00:02:55,199 --> 00:02:59,759 away the best defensive player in the world, which could like I would be. 44 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,680 If that weren't the case next year and he gets a little better offensively, 45 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:06,560 then you're already talking about, well, he's like top three or four 46 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,319 MVP so and that's in his second year. I mean that that's an optimistic 47 00:03:10,319 --> 00:03:14,759 outlook, but it's hard for me not to be optimistic about him. I 48 00:03:14,879 --> 00:03:17,159 just like it's just we don't really talk about this stuff that often, but 49 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:21,599 like the makeup and his approach and like his maturity and all that stuff, 50 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:25,360 like you're not gonna have I have no concerns about him not having like the 51 00:03:25,479 --> 00:03:30,719 right uh you know, off the floor stuff. You know that. I 52 00:03:30,719 --> 00:03:32,800 don't have any of those worries. So yeah, I don't. I don't 53 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:38,599 know what exactly like the debate really drills down to, but like, yeah, 54 00:03:38,639 --> 00:03:39,960 he could be the best player. I would I would be surprised if 55 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:44,439 he weren't in the conversation as soon as his third year, that is when 56 00:03:44,439 --> 00:03:49,280 did Lebron enter that discussion? Do you think so was he there by year? 57 00:03:49,319 --> 00:03:53,039 Because I mean he was kind of Kobe was still there at that time, 58 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,400 or at least people had him in that year of player. Lebron was 59 00:03:55,439 --> 00:03:59,840 certainly the best player in the league by his fifth season, that's for sure. 60 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,240 Yeah. I think that's when was his first like season as the best 61 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:09,400 player in the NBA, because his first MVP came when was that two thousand 62 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:14,599 and he won MVP first and he finished in the top ten of MVP voting 63 00:04:14,639 --> 00:04:16,839 during his rookie season. By the way, he didn't win his first MVP 64 00:04:16,959 --> 00:04:23,279 Award until two thousand and nine, so that was his sixth season he was 65 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,920 top five, he was top he finished second in two thousand and six, 66 00:04:27,199 --> 00:04:29,879 so at age twenty one, I think he had a case to be the 67 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:31,959 best player in the NBA. Feels fair because he certainly wasn't there as a 68 00:04:31,959 --> 00:04:36,800 sophomore. No, And I think I think next year is when we're gonna 69 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:43,560 have to start, like really really having the I can't get there in the 70 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,560 second year, but if in this I think the third year feels like the 71 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:49,079 magic number to me, if like, if it's gonna happen, we'll have 72 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:54,040 a really good idea by then, I think so. But what I also 73 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:59,800 wanted to say here is people are undervaluing his offense because I think of what, 74 00:05:00,079 --> 00:05:03,519 look at the numbers now and they're still a little unimpressive, but like, 75 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:08,079 he is above league average true shooting. He might even be there now, 76 00:05:08,079 --> 00:05:11,279 but he's above league average true shooting since the Spurs moved him to center. 77 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,639 This is staggering to me. Since they made him their starting five, 78 00:05:15,199 --> 00:05:20,360 he is shooting forty five percent on pull up three pointers, and he has 79 00:05:20,399 --> 00:05:25,839 made more pull up three pointers during this stretch than di'angelo Russell just as a 80 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,120 name. He's made more pull up three pointers during this stretch than Kawi Leonard. 81 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,800 Like that is, that's legit, and he's taking some tough shots. 82 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:38,360 The freedom to explore absolutely matters. But by the way, and this shift 83 00:05:38,399 --> 00:05:42,800 has been I feel like it's been starker of late, but like the Spurs 84 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:47,879 are running stuff through him as a facilitator. And so among biggs who averaged 85 00:05:48,399 --> 00:05:53,600 at least twenty five minutes per game during the month of February, you want 86 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:58,519 to guess, you want to guess how many had a higher assist rate than 87 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,959 Victor Weber Yama. I mean you'd have like Jokic, it would be I 88 00:06:02,959 --> 00:06:05,680 feel how many? Yeah, how many? Can you guess? So there's 89 00:06:05,759 --> 00:06:12,480 Jokic, there's Sam No so okay, So I'm already blown away that he's 90 00:06:12,519 --> 00:06:15,480 not a higher assistrate than Bam. I don't know who, like just what 91 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,680 is He's he top five? Uh, he's top five. So Bam probably 92 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:23,199 doesn't make the cut here because I filtered it for six ten and over. 93 00:06:23,519 --> 00:06:28,879 So like he has a higher assist rate than Alprin Shangun, than Kevin Rant, 94 00:06:28,879 --> 00:06:32,120 than Nurkic. Uh So, it's Jokic, Giannis Domas, and Palo 95 00:06:32,199 --> 00:06:35,560 Bankaro the only bigs who averaged at least twenty five minutes a game in the 96 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,319 month of February with a higher assist rate. And so, yeah, Wemby's 97 00:06:39,319 --> 00:06:41,920 turnover eight can be a little bit higher, but like, you know what, 98 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,720 fourteen percent during that stretch, given what they're trying to run through him, 99 00:06:46,079 --> 00:06:49,120 there's an offensive ceiling here that I really just don't think people are accounting 100 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:53,600 for. And even so, let's they run a lot more stuff through him 101 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,959 at the elbows. And so just among players, and this is, by 102 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,720 the way, I'm not even breaking down a segment. This is for the 103 00:07:00,879 --> 00:07:06,839 entire season, among everyone who is averaging as many elbow touches per game as 104 00:07:06,879 --> 00:07:12,519 Wemby, there's only four total players, including Wemby, that have an assist 105 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:16,160 rate from the elbow of at least twenty with a turnover rate below five. 106 00:07:16,639 --> 00:07:20,839 It's shanng Gun, It's Jokic, and it's Perle and then there's Wemby. 107 00:07:21,079 --> 00:07:25,079 And so this is all just yes, some of it's cherry picked, but 108 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:29,360 like an assist rate of twenty plus with a turnover rate below five, like 109 00:07:29,439 --> 00:07:32,240 that fucking matters, especially when you're getting some actual volume at the elbows. 110 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,879 Now, I will say he's getting fewer elbow touches per game on the season 111 00:07:36,319 --> 00:07:40,959 than Shangun perl Jokic. But like I'm talking about on the season now, 112 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,800 Grant, this isn't a Justine when he was moved to the five, or 113 00:07:44,879 --> 00:07:48,040 this isn't just since February, like this is the entire season. So there's 114 00:07:48,079 --> 00:07:53,120 another And when you're even talking about him in the context of versus Chet Holmgren, 115 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:59,040 that might actually be what separates him from Chet Holmgren is more than anything 116 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:01,759 is the fact that he can And again I don't know how much of this 117 00:08:01,839 --> 00:08:07,040 is the freedom to explore, the license to explore, but he can create 118 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:11,439 his own shots. And he's also setting teammates up in more complicated ways or 119 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:15,560 as the hub, whereas Chet does not. Now is that a function of 120 00:08:15,639 --> 00:08:18,800 Chet's role or lack of ability. I think it's probably a combination of both. 121 00:08:18,839 --> 00:08:22,360 They're never gonna need him to do that in Oklahoma City when you look 122 00:08:22,399 --> 00:08:26,759 at how they're built. But it's also why you know, I'm sure you 123 00:08:26,839 --> 00:08:30,199 saw the rumors that the Spurs are ready to make a run at Trey Young 124 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:31,600 over the summer, and pardon me, is like, if you have wem 125 00:08:31,679 --> 00:08:35,039 beyond defense and Trey's just there and he's gonna give the level of effort that 126 00:08:35,039 --> 00:08:39,120 he has in the past year and a half or whatever, that'll work. 127 00:08:39,519 --> 00:08:43,159 And I'm also kind of like that will dilute what Wemby's doing on offense, 128 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,120 and I don't need to see that, because I really do think and it's 129 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,600 even you could throw this out the window and just say, like, there's 130 00:08:48,639 --> 00:08:52,000 a chance that he becomes a more Giannis was the best player in the NBA 131 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:56,440 at some point without having the deepest offensive armory. I'm not getting into the 132 00:08:56,759 --> 00:09:00,600 he has no bag, but he was never He's been the primary initiator, 133 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,840 but it's never in ways like he needs to get going downhill where it's Wemby 134 00:09:03,879 --> 00:09:05,919 can do that in other ways. I'm not saying he's better than Yannis right 135 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:11,279 now. I'm just saying if someone like Giannis can get to be the best 136 00:09:11,279 --> 00:09:16,000 player in the world for multiple seasons at a time while being more of just 137 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:18,679 like this force of nature on offense and then the best defensive player in the 138 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:22,720 league. Victor Webenyama can absolutely do the same thing, especially if he's going 139 00:09:22,759 --> 00:09:26,399 to be tasked with doing I don't want to say more complicated stuff, but 140 00:09:26,519 --> 00:09:31,639 just more like have a more comprehensive offensive package. And I think the people 141 00:09:31,639 --> 00:09:35,600 who believe, even if they think Wemby can be the best player, and 142 00:09:35,639 --> 00:09:39,200 they don't think it can happen on the same timeline that it did for Lebron, 143 00:09:39,279 --> 00:09:41,919 just because Giannis's role, it took him a while to get there. 144 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:46,080 Same with Jokic, because one I think with both those guys, the national 145 00:09:46,159 --> 00:09:48,720 public just took too long to catch up to them. But the other thing 146 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:54,159 was they were brought along more gradually. Where it's been There's been layers to 147 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,240 Victor Wemenyama's role in usage this year, but it's been very much overall baptism 148 00:09:58,279 --> 00:10:01,120 by fire when you look at the entire pace, if you want to like, 149 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,559 this is someone who could be the best player in the NBA by I'm 150 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:07,440 not going to predict it next year, but kind of like when Lebron entered 151 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,840 the discussion year three and year four, he could be better than Luca, 152 00:10:11,039 --> 00:10:15,120 he could be better than Shake Gilgris Alexander at that point and I think that 153 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,080 it's not just people just look at him as like, well, it's because 154 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:20,120 of what he's doing on defense. It's no there's an there's a super star 155 00:10:20,279 --> 00:10:24,679 offensive player here, and this isn't Anthony Davis level play finishing either, Like 156 00:10:24,759 --> 00:10:30,399 Davis has never really expanded his game beyond the confines of being a play finisher, 157 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:31,799 and when he does, with the exception of the Bubble, it doesn't 158 00:10:31,799 --> 00:10:35,120 always go well. Like we're already seeing Wenby do a lot of stuff when 159 00:10:35,159 --> 00:10:39,399 you look at as a facilitator that Anthony Davis has never really been tasked with 160 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:41,879 doing. At least that's anecdotal. I didn't dig into the numbers and look 161 00:10:41,919 --> 00:10:48,799 at ad in New Orleans. Think about though, the what we've just discussed, 162 00:10:48,919 --> 00:10:52,679 right, like what you said, the names, the names we've thrown 163 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:58,000 out, like well it's shingoon Yannis Davis, like you could throw whatever else. 164 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,320 But the thing is you're saying, yeah, he'd be like those guys 165 00:11:01,639 --> 00:11:07,840 who are super different, except could do more. Like this is why comparisons 166 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:11,080 fail with him, because there isn't there's no such thing as a guy who 167 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:16,000 can be the best elbow facilitator in the league, the best rim protector in 168 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,600 the league, the best off ball defender in the league, the best pull 169 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:22,360 up shooting big in the league, Like they're that guy does not exist. 170 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:26,759 So it's like, I think the fact that we have to invoke so many 171 00:11:26,799 --> 00:11:31,519 different players that are great at certain things but have real weaknesses and still come 172 00:11:31,559 --> 00:11:33,799 up saying like, yeah, he's kind of like them, except like doesn't 173 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:39,080 have the flaw, Like that might be the best possible argument for like, 174 00:11:39,159 --> 00:11:41,279 of course, this guy's going to be the best player in the league if 175 00:11:41,279 --> 00:11:43,240 he doesn't get hurt, like we need maybe we should just forget the injury 176 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,039 thing, like who care? Of course, yeah, everyone could be great 177 00:11:46,039 --> 00:11:50,559 if they didn't get hurt, but like he is, you can't find a 178 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:54,320 guy that you're like, he's he's just like this guy. And that's been 179 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:56,879 true like from day one really in terms of his potential, he's like, 180 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:01,000 yeah, he might he might be as good as Anthony Davis. Everything Anthony 181 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:05,200 Davis is good at, except also he's a better pull up shooter and he's 182 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:09,519 better off the bat. Like there's just it's there's no there's no guy out 183 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:13,320 there you can point to that is like a good approximation for him, and 184 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:15,360 I think that's probably the best endorsement you can do.