Wemby Week is underway
Amid the constant trade talk and free agency chatter out there, let's make sure to keep one eye on the generational talent who is hours away from becoming an NBA player
Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounpo and newly crowned NBA champion Nikola Jokić have famously combined to win the last five regular-season MVP awards in #thisleague.
None of them had a resume to rival Victor Wembanyama's when they were 19.
Wembanyama's fledgling pro career in France doesn't compare to what Luka Dončić achieved in his teen years at Real Madrid and with the Slovenian national team before he was acquired by the Dallas Mavericks on draft night in 2018, but Wembanyama will officially become an NBA player Thursday night as one of the most advanced prospects — foreign or domestic — that the we’ve seen in the 21st century.
Labeling him the best prospect ever, as ESPN seems intent on conveying, is a needless step too far. One example: Wembanyama has shot below 30% from 3-point range in each of his past two French League seasons.
The fairer assessment: Wembanyama is the most anticipated NBA newcomer in exactly 20 years dating to LeBron James' selection by his home-state Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 1 overall pick in 2003. He has wowed scouts with his ability to move, handle the ball and take aim from deep like a much smaller player while covering a ridiculous amount of ground defensively for a big man who provides the elite rim presence expected from a player who stands 7-foot-3 ... or 7-foot-4 ... or 7-foot-5 depending on the source consulted.
In advance of Wembanyama's certain selection by the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 1 pick Thursday night, I was asked by my colleagues at Bally Sports Southwest to assemble a couple video essays chronicling Wemby's rise. The first essay debuted today and is enclosed here, tracing the Spurs' fortuitous history with Lady Luck ... or Lady Lottery as she’s known in her case.
Trade talk and the looming start of free agency have naturally dominated discussion leaguewide since Jokić and Nuggets completed their championship breakthrough last week. Much of the buzz surrounding draft proceedings in Brooklyn has likewise focused on the trade possibilities throughout the lottery involving teams, as high Charlotte at No. 2 and Detroit at No. 3, that missed out on Wembanyama in the lottery.
Draft Week, though, is largely Wemby Week — even with a blockbuster Bradley Beal trade to process and no matter what sort of transactional mayhem is forthcoming. He arrived in New York via Newark Airport on Monday, throws out the ceremonial first pitch at the Yankees’ game Tuesday night and will be featured in another video piece from me before his fast-approaching official selection by the Spurs.
It’s Wemby’s time, y’all.
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Predictive Text
The Denver Nuggets completed a five-game demolition of the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals on June 12.
Today we celebrate the 40 members of our community who correctly predicted Nuggets in 5.
You’ll recall that, right before the NBA Finals, we invited everyone to make their prediction for the championship round in permanent ink.
Your humble newsletter curator was indeed among the overwhelming majority who picked Denver to win the series, but I said Nuggets in 6 because I couldn't bear to write off the Heat in such one-sided fashion after their Cinderella ride through the Eastern Conference bracket.
No one, though, wants to hear such sob stories now. When we get this deep into the NBA Tournament, only those who nailed the winner and the number of games earn the right to be spotlighted here.
Enclosed is the lengthy list of our all most prescient prognosticators ... courtesy of our pal DeePee30’s tracking work and finally satisfying loyal reader Jon Saur after his two recent calls for me to hurry up and publish a complete list of everyone who touted Denver's dominance in advance.
PS — If you didn’t provide a last name with your wise prediction, it cost you a chance at some fame and bragging rights right here.
Numbers Game
🏀 10
Ten current franchises are still without an NBA championship after the Nuggets removed themselves from that list. Those 10 are the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz.
🏀 3
The Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings have not won championships in their current cities but did so in previous locations: St. Louis, Seattle and Rochester, respectively.
🏀 2
The Nuggets became the second of four former ABA franchises to win it all alongside the San Antonio Spurs, leaving only the Nets and the Pacers on the wait list. The Nets (as the New York Nets) won two ABA championships and the Pacers won three.
🏀 .794
NBA teams completed the playoffs having shot a composite 79.4% from the free throw line to set a new league record. This was the first postseason in NBA history in which the leaguewide percentage crossed 79%. (H/T to Mavericks TV play-by-play voice Mark Followill and SportRadar for the research.)
🏀 1979
The Nuggets are the NBA's first champion from the Western Conference not based in California or Texas since the Seattle SuperSonics way back in 1979.
🏀 30
Miami's Jimmy Butler (six times an All-Star) and Denver's Nikola Jokić (five All-Star appearances) were the 30th and 41st picks in the NBA Draft, respectively. Among all NBA players who began their careers in 1980 or later, Butler and Jokić are the only players selected 30th or lower to make at least five All-Star teams.
🏀 14-10
On Dec. 6, Denver lost at home to Dallas to drop to 14-10 with its third successive defeat. The Nuggets then uncorked a 19-3 surge and moved into first place in the West for good on Jan. 17.
🏀 13
If you're going through NBA game action withdrawals: Be advised that summer league play is only 13 days away with the California Classic in Sacramento on July 3 and July 5.
🏀 58
Reminder: There are only 58 picks in Thursday night's NBA Draft rather than the usual 60 because Chicago and Philadelphia were docked second-round picks for recent violations of the league's rules regarding free agent negotiations.
🏀 10
The no-trade clause Bradley Beal used to force a trade from Washington to Phoenix was only the 10th full no-trade clause in league history. Beal's nine predecessors to possess one: Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, David Robinson, John Stockton and Dwyane Wade.
🏀 8
No-trade clauses are so rare in the NBA because players not only need eight years of service team and four years with the same team to get them but, crucially, can negotiate full no-trade clauses only into new contracts — not extensions.
🏀 97.1
Readers in the Dallas area — or those who want to listen online — can catch me for three hours of live NBA Draft coverage Thursday night from 7 to 10 PM Central Time on 97.1 The Freak alongside Mavericks radio play-by-play voice Chuck Cooperstein, Mavs.com digital content manager Bobby Karalla and a surprise guest or two throughout the evening.
Additional Programming Note
I recorded a new episode of #thisleague UNCUT on Monday night alongside Turner Sports’ Chris Haynes and our special guest
… director of scouting for his NBA Big Board Substack.We previewed the draft with Rafael and naturally also talked all about the Bradley Beal trade to Phoenix, how this affects outgoing Suns guard Chris Paul and what might be next for Paul, Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard.
Listen to the podcast here:
And please rate, review and subscribe to #thisleague UNCUT, which drops twice weekly, via Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods.
Good stuff, Marc. Thanks! I’ll go enjoy my 24 hours of fame now.
It's so cool to see the pics of Wemby at Newark. What an amazing time for him to begin his NBA journey.
Can't wait to see how we are all feeling and reacting 72 hours from now!