On Thursday night, NBA fans witnessed a battle of rookie big men as Victor Wembanyama and his San Antonio Spurs defeated Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It was yet another dominant performance from Wembanyama, who may be on his way to winning Rookie of the Year.
But he could be even more than the league’s best rookie, according to NBA analyst Alan Hahn.
“He is going to be a guy that the whole league is going to be relying on to take the mantle from LeBron James and Steph Curry,” Hahn said on Friday’s episode of “Get Up.”
“There’s no other player in the league that has all these things that you need to be a face of the league. He’s got it all,” he added.
"[Victor Wembanyama] is going to be a guy that the whole league is going to be relying on to take the mantle on from LeBron James and Steph Curry."
👀 @alanhahn pic.twitter.com/5slRjqm8eH
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 1, 2024
Hahn said that Wembanyama has so much: the skills, the length, and the charisma and personality.
All of that was on display Thursday night, as he posted a strong 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists during the game.
He also had an amazing 2 steals and 5 blocks, including a startling one on Holmgren that immediately went viral online.
Wembanyama has been talented since the start of the season but he has been looking even better recently, enhancing skills on both ends of the court and becoming more and more comfortable playing against the big names of the NBA.
Hahn and others believe that he could truly be the future of the NBA, but he also made a fair point: a player like Wembanyama needs to earn wins to secure his place in the league.
The Spurs are currently the worst team in the West with a 12-48 record.
That means that this season is basically a lost cause but that doesn’t mean that Wembanyama can’t have some fun and impress fans for the next few months.
NEXT: Victor Wembanyama Posted Historic Stat Line Thursday Night