In just three seasons, 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama led the spurs">San Antonio Spurs to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014, as they toppled the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games.
And as he’s emerged under the spotlight, he’s already receiving a lot of praise for what’s to come in his career, with Spurs legends talking up his career potential.
During a recent appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” former Spurs player and NBA champion Sean Elliott shared his thoughts about the former No. 1 pick and compared what he’s seen so far to what he recalled from playing alongside former No. 1 pick Tim Duncan.
Elliott said he remembered noticing how “extremely polished” and “fundamentally sound” Duncan was as a young player in the league, and he could already do things that took veterans 10 years to learn. However, he believes Wemby isn’t there yet and hasn’t scratched the surface of his full capabilities.
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“With Victor at 22 years old, he’s still getting there. I still think he hasn’t really begun to reach his true potential. I don’t think he’s even close, actually,” Elliott said. “He’s going to continue to fill out a lot more. He’s going to continue to figure out the game a lot more. He’s going to continue to work on his game because that’s the kind of person he is and that’s the kind of basketball player he wants to be.”
The Spurs legend mentioned that Wemby went on a retreat last summer to work with Shaolin monks on his focus and also worked with former NBA players Kevin Garnett, Jamal Crawford, and Hakeem Olajuwon on his basketball skills.
“He wants to be great, and so I believe this is just the beginning for him,” Elliott predicted.
When asked whether Elliott had ever seen someone at that age who wanted to become the greatest in basketball, the Spurs legend said the only player he could recall who had that was Kobe Bryant, who had that “drive and killer instinct” in the sport.
He mentioned that the late Kobe would sacrifice his personal life and, rather than go out with people to have fun, would continue to dedicate himself to his craft: the game of basketball.
Elliott’s major endorsement comes not only as a former Spurs All-Star and champion alongside Duncan and David Robinson, but also as an analyst who has been watching Wembanyama and his rapid rise as the next great big man in the NBA.
And it’s the sort of prediction that many will agree with after seeing what appears to be only glimpses of the greatness Wemby is capable of, including that monstrous Game 1 performance against OKC, where he recorded 41 points, 24 rebounds, and three blocks, a stat line that only a select group of NBA stars achieved.
The young, quickly improving Spurs phenom gets his first crack at an NBA championship, but he’ll need to lead his team to a win over a New York Knicks team that is on an 11-game winning streak after charging through the Eastern Conference.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs tips off Wednesday at 8:40 p.m. ET.
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For more about the NBA Finals, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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