What did Victor Wembanyama say about the NBA?

While it’s clear that the French sensation is as talented as they come, he may have just opened a can of worms with his comments about the physicality, or lack thereof when it comes to the NBA.

Victor Wembanyama says NBA isn’t as physical as Europe.

Despite the fact that Victor Wembanyama’s Summer League lasted just two games, it’s clear that the No. 1 overall pick from this year’s NBA Draft is a special player. Yes, it’s true that his first game for the San Antonio Spurs was somewhat underwhelming, but his second saw the young Frenchman put 27 points on the board to go with 12 rebounds. Indeed, it was after that game that the Spurs decided they had seen enough to take the decision of shutting him down for the remainder of the team’s Summer League games. Yet, perhaps what stood out most about Wembanyama’s first foray into the world of the NBA, was what he said rather than how he played.

While speaking during his postgame press conference, the 19-year-old was asked about the differences between his time playing basketball in France and the small amount of NBA basketball that he’s now experienced in the Summer League and his answer definitely raised some eyebrows. “The court is more open, it’s going fast, but it’s less physical,” Wembanyama said. “I get fouled a lot, but not as much. Here players are just flying [around], out there it’s more on the ground, pushing on the ground, big box outs. Here it’s great athletes, the best in the world, way more talent. But I like this better, though.”

Is there any truth in Victor Wembanyama’s take on the NBA

Before we even get into the merits of his view, it’s got to be said up front that Wembanyama has played only two games of NBA basketball, and it was largely against fellow rookies in the Summer League. To take his opinion on the league as a whole after just two games in such circumstances would be naive at best. Yet, it would also be dismissive to simply ignore the idea altogether. Consider another European star who has crossed the pond like Luka Doncic. The Slovenian All-Star said just last year that scoring in the NBA is easier than in Euroleague because of the difference in rules, namely the absence of a three-second violation rule for standing inside the paint. This is to say that while subjective, there may well be some notable differences between the two environments.

Regardless, what we can assume is that Wembanyama - right or wrong - likely just painted a target on his own back. It goes without saying that there are a number of players across the league who would have heard what he had to say and are now marking the date when they meet the Spurs on their calendars. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how he copes with what is sure to be a number of opponents who would like to ‘welcome’ him to the NBA. The question that remains, is whether he can face up to them in the same way that Doncic did when he drew attention with his own take on the NBA.