Imago
Image Credits: Imago
Imago
Image Credits: Imago
Michael Jordan is arguably the best basketball player ever. So, whenever a young talent shows promise, they are bound to be compared with the six-time NBA champion. Recently, Charles Barkley talked about this while talking about Victor Wembanyama who is projected to go #1 in the upcoming 2023 NBA draft. The Frenchman’s stock has been on the rise ever since he first became a global sensation playing in the French league. However, Wembanyama is not just a projected #1 draft pick. There is a huge hype around him because of his massive potential.
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Many believe the hype around Wembanyama is similar to the hype NBA superstar LeBron James had when he declared for the draft. However, there are doubts about him living up to the expectation as well.
Charles Barkley on players being compared to Michael Jordan
In one of the recent segments of Inside the NBA on TNT, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Ernie Johnson talked about Victor Wembanyama. Kenny talked about Wembanyama and suggested he might not need a transition period in the NBA because of the way he plays. But Barkley was not in agreement with this projection. The 1991?NBA MVP stated that Wembanyama could struggle with the physicality of the league. He added that LeBron James is the only player he has ever seen to take the NBA by storm coming directly from high school. The 11-time NBA All-Star noted that even legends like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett struggled for a period in the league.
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He then talked about the number of players who were compared to Michael Jordan and did not live up to it. Barkley said, “He is the next this, he is the next that. Like, how many people did Michael Jordan kill? We’ve been for the last 40 years like, ‘Well he’s the next Michael Jordan.’ And we never had another one. We killed like Howard Miner, Roy Marble, like all these guys.”
Barkley hopes Wembanyama would be a great player. However, he is not ready to put pressure on him. He stated that analysts like him put pressure on prospects by comparing him with others and he did not want to add to that.
Where will Victor Wembanyama land?
Ernie Johnson talked about the current three teams that are in the running for Victor Wembanyama. He said that the three teams with the worst record would have an equal chance to land the Frenchman.
The Houston Rockets (13-45), the San Antonio Spurs (14-46), and the Detroit Pistons (15-45) currently have the worst record in the NBA. However, the Charlotte Hornets (17-43) are not far away as well. Recently, the fans reacted to the possibility of the Rockets drafting him.
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Do you think Victor Wembanyama has the potential to dominate the league like Michael Jordan immediately? Let us know in the comments.
Written by
Edited by
Aayush Kapoor