What teams are the best fit for Victor Wembanyama?
With the 2022-23 NBA regular season approaching its conclusion, some attention starts to shift to the 2023 NBA Draft, and no other name in that draft has more attention than Metropolitans 92’s big man Victor Wembanyama. The French phenom’s hype is at an all-time high, as he boasts measurables and skills that are earning him the most praise as an NBA prospect since LeBron James. The 19-year-old generational talent is a unicorn of a player, recently measuring 7’5” with shoes on yet still having the fluid touch and fundamentals of the league’s best players. He can be a fantastic interior presence on both offense and defense, knock down spot-up jumpers anywhere on the floor, and take you off the dribble. This unprecedented skillset can certainly fit in on any of the 30 rosters in the NBA, but which ones should fans be most excited to see? Out of the realistic teams in the lottery that may end up landing Wembanyama, here are the ones best suited to not only have long-term success upon putting Wemby in the lineup, but also a potential immediate jolt into contending basketball.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC’s GM Sam Presti has been harboring draft picks and young players after seeing all-time greats Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George come and go through the organization with no championship to show for it. While this strategy hasn’t seen much success in the last few years, if the currently 10th place Thunder luck out in landing Wembanyama, they will easily have the brightest future of any team in the NBA. This team is currently highlighted by first time All-Star guard Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, who is currently averaging 30.8 points per game and is only 24 years-old. If Wembanyama becomes the player that he is projected to be, SGA is the perfect co-star, forming a long-term big man-little man duo that can dominate the league a la Shaq and Kobe. Additionally, Shai’s current backcourt mate Josh Giddey is a rising star in his own right. The 20-year-old Australian is a fantastic playmaker that can facilitate the offense without needing the ball in his hand as much as Wembanyama and SGA, and his 6’8” frame makes him a triple-double threat night in-night out. All of this without even mentioning the Thunder’s 2022 #2 overall pick Chet Holmgren who hasn’t suited up yet as a professional. At 7’2”, Chet projects to have a similar skillset to Wembanyama, and the two towering giants can potentially be the most dynamic frontcourt duo we’ve ever seen, both offensively with their shooting ability and guard skills, and defensively with their absurd length that allows them to protect the rim and guard multiple positions exceptionally well. Lu Dort and Jalen Williams lead a deep group of young, athletic wings that can round out this team with solid perimeter defense and competent offensive support. This would immediately be the youngest, tallest, and most dynamic lineups in the league.
Potential Thunder Starting 5 with Wembanyama:
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24 years old)
SG: Josh Giddey (20 years old)
SF: Jalen Williams/Lu Dort (Williams 21 years old, Dort 23 years old)
PF: Chet Holmgren (20 years old)
C: Victor Wembenyama (19 years old)
2. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are another intriguing team in the Wembanyama sweepstakes. They currently have the fourth worst record in the league, and just lost their only true young superstar, LaMelo Ball, to a season ending ankle injury. This team is in desperate need of talented youth to put next to Ball, and Wembanyama would be the best possible solution. Victor would immediately step in and be Charlotte’s big superstar that owner Michael Jordan has been searching for since missing out on selecting Anthony Davis after an NBA record-breaking 7-59 2011-12 season. LaMelo Ball is also probably the best possible young co-star to Wemby, as he is a pass-first, run-and-gun floor general that will feed Wembanyama the ball as well as provide a very solid secondary scoring option for this potential Hornets’ offense. The two would mutually benefit each other perfectly and take one other’s game to even higher levels. The surrounding pieces of this team definitely needs an overhaul as other standout players like Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, and Kelly Oubre Jr. don’t fit the timeline of this team, and Miles Bridges has his own concerns regarding his future in the league. Regardless, as long as you have Wembanyama and Ball you have a more than solid future as a franchise, and it wouldn’t be hard finding players that fit with their one-of-a-kind talents.
Potential Hornets Starting 5 with Wembanyama:
PG: LaMelo Ball (21 years old)
SG: Terry Rozier (28 years old, UFA in 2026)
SF: Kelly Oubre Jr. (27 years old, UFA in 2023)
PF: Miles Bridges (24 years old, facing issues off the court)
C: Victor Wembanyama (19 years old)
3. Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons will likely finish as one of the bottom 3 teams in the NBA that will have the shared best odds of landing Wembanyama with the #1 pick in the 2023 draft, alongside the Spurs and Rockets. I don’t want to see him with the Spurs or Rockets, as in my opinion those two teams lack a clear direction upwards towards a competitive future (no proven young stars, questionable front office in the case of the Rockets, Coach Pop approaching retirement). The Pistons however are slowly starting to build a team with a very promising future. It starts with 2021 #1 overall draft pick Cade Cunningham, another tall, dynamic point guard who proved to be a future superstar in the league during his rookie year in 2021-22 (out for this season with injury). Next to him the backcourt is Detroit’s 2022 #5 overall pick Jaden Ivey, who is an uber athletic shooting guard who is looking like he can be a solid scorer and defender so far in his rookie season. Victor Wembanyama would shine playing with these guys on the perimeter, especially being able to grow with them in their young age. Pistons’ current leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic is much older, but is under contract with Detroit until the 2025 offseason and can provide much needed 3-point shooting and veteran leadership. Throw in young, scrappy big men Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren for a defensive boost, and you have the most complete Detroit Pistons’ roster in years with the addition of Wembanyama.
Potential Pistons Starting 5 with Wembanyama:
PG: Cade Cunningham (21 years old)
SG: Jaden Ivey (21 years old)
SF: Bojan Bogdanovich (33 years old, UFA in 2025)
PF: Isaiah Stewart (21 years old)
C: Victor Wembanyama (19 years old, backup C Jalen Duren is also 19).
4. Orlando Magic
The last time the Orlando Magic held the #1 pick in back-to-back years resulted in the duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway, two all-time greats that could have been one of the greatest duos of all times if it weren’t for Shaq leaving for LA to do what he did with Kobe Bryant. Now, the Magic have a strong chance of doing it again as they have the fifth worst record in the league after drafting forward Paolo Banchero #1 in last year’s draft. Don’t get it twisted though, the only reason the Magic aren’t worse is because of the play of Banchero. The rookie from Seattle is leading Orlando in points (20 per game), is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year, and was in the conversation for being an All Star this season. Quite frankly, I think Paolo’s excellence is severely underrated, and I expect him to start getting the respect and attention he deserves in the coming years. The addition of Wembanyama would certainly help that, as the young team would improve even more than they already have under head coach Jamahl Mosley. No hyperbole, I believe the frontcourt duo of Banchero-Wembanyama can potentially go down as the best frontcourt duo of all time, as both players have dynamic skillsets that are both contrary, yet complementary to each other. Additionally, Franz Wagner has proven himself as an all-around good player on the wing that will be a very strong third option in this potential lineup. Bol Bol’s emergence as a solid player is intriguing as his 7’2” frame combined with Wemby’s 7’4” frame would make the Magic one of the biggest teams of all time, especially considering Banchero and Wagner stand tall at 6’10”. Young guards Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs still have a lot to prove, but the league is so full of guard talent that it wouldn’t be hard to find formidable guards on the trade market or in free agency to fill in with such a talented frontcourt.
Potential Magic Starting 5 with Wembanyama:
PG: Cole Anthony (22 years old)
SG: Jalen Suggs (21 years old)
SF: Franz Wagner (21 years old)
PF: Paolo Banchero (20 years old)
C: Victor Wembanyama (19 years old)
5. New Orleans Pelicans
To close the list is the New Orleans Pelicans. A French superstar playing in New Orleans is way too perfect and I would love to see that happen. Mainly because out of the teams on this list, the Pelicans already have the most competitive roster, as they’re currently competing for a playoff spot in a very deep Western conference. They have the rights to a pick swap with the Lakers who are also competing for a playoff spot, so even though they’ll be in the back of the lottery in terms of probability to land the #1 pick, don’t completely out rule their chances since they realistically have two shots at it. If they do luck out, then Victor will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact for a team that’s already built to make a playoff run. Zion Williamson has all the ability to already deserve the title of “superstar” at age 22 so long as he’s healthy, and playing next to Wembanyama is yet another possible young duo that can take over the league for years to come. Of course, this team has no shortage of talent already. Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum are two players with established notoriety that have been getting buckets at a very high level for years and are the unquestionable leaders of this team. Guards Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado are young, pesky defenders that will thrive in playoff basketball. Jonas Valanciunas would be bumped to the bench to be one of the better backup centers in the league and add to the Pelicans’ already fantastic depth. Overall, Wemby to the Pelicans is intriguing less because it’s a good place for him to shine and more because this team would immediately assert itself as a championship contender. If it were to happen, Victor Wembanyama could become the most prominent rookie to win an NBA Title since Magic Johnson.
Potential Pelicans Starting 5 with Wembanyama:
PG: CJ McCollum (31 years old, UFA in 2026)
SG: Herb Jones (24 years old)
SF: Brandon Ingram (25 years old, UFA in 2025)
PF: Zion Williamson (22 years old)
C: Victor Wembanyama (19 years old)
