Clippers star Paul George was critical of the hype surrounding Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama in the wake of him being drafted with the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft. However, George is now backtracking a bit on his previous criticism after seeing how easy Wembanyama made things look in preseason action.
“I take back everything I said,” George began on his show Podcast P with Paul George. “And I knew he was gonna be successful in the league, but I thought it was going to be tougher than what he’s making it look right now. He Euro’d without taking a dribble from the free throw line, flushed it. No one’s stopping that.
“I mean, he still hasn’t played the league yet. But, some of the stuff he doin’ dawg, I mean he threw it to the wing, called for the lob at the three-point line, knowing nobody else can go get that…dunked it.”
George then emphasized a point that Warriors star Draymond Green made, where worst case, Wembanyama is going to be one of the league’s best shot blockers given his length and athleticism.
Paul George on Victor Wembanyama:
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BasketballOnX) October 23, 2023
"I take back everything I said. I thought it was gonna be tougher than he's making it look. He euro'd without taking a dribble from the free-throw line, flushed it. No one's stopping that."
[via @PodcastPShow ] pic.twitter.com/vaHNsKw1Re
“This goes back to Draymond’s point. Worst case, he’s gonna be one of the best-shot blockers. A lot of times I put myself in other players’ shoes, like, ‘Alright, what would I have done right there?’ And a lot of those possessions, it’s like damn, when I get to the paint like I’m gonna have to look. Like he’s contesting, like I might beat my guy and he’s gonna get pulled in. I might think he’s way on the three-point line but like his wingspan…he’s still covering me. It’s gonna be different.”
It’s clear that Wembanyama is already catching the eye of stars around the game. With the regular season starting this week, it’s time for the rubber to meet the road and for Wembanyama to prove that he can live up to the lofty expectations set before him in San Antonio.
