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‘He looks great… but you don’t know until he gets to the NBA’: Charles Barkley suggests Victor Wembanyama’s hype might NOT be justified… and says he WON’T have the same immediate impact as LeBron James
TNT host and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley doesn’t think top overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama deserves the hype he’s been receiving, reserving further judgment until he’s in the NBA.
The 7-foot-5 teenager has dazzled fans and scouts alike with his shooting and ability to dribble the ball like a guard despite his gargantuan size.
In his most recent game with the French National Team, he recorded 22 points, 17 rebounds, six blocks and four steals against the Czech Republic.
“Everybody loves this guy and he looks great, but you really can’t tell until he gets to the NBA,” Barkley said.
NBA analyst Charles Barkley said he doesn’t think Victor Wembanyama is worth it.
Wembanyama is by far the favorite to be No. 1 overall in the 2023 NBA draft.
Barkley then went on to badmouth Wembanyama after co-host Kenny Smith praised the big man’s scoring abilities saying “I don’t agree with all that, I think he’ll be a great fit.”
‘The physique… I think he is more physical than him playing against the Czech Republic. I mean he’s going to play against grown men.
‘And he’s also going to have to guard those guys at the other end, it’s going to bring him problems with fouls.
“Listen, I’ve been in the NBA for 40 years and I haven’t seen but one guy, one guy who didn’t go to college and he looks great, that was LeBron. Kobe was great, he had problems at the beginning. Kevin Garnett was great, he struggled early on.
Barkley must have clearly forgotten a certain MVP candidate, Luca Doncic, who played in Spain before being drafted by the NBA and averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and six assists as a rookie.
Doncic was also named NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2018-2019 season after not playing a single second of college basketball, so it sounds like Barkley might want to reconsider his statements.
The 2018-2019 class included players who starred in college like Trae Young, Deandre Ayton and Jaren Jackson Jr, all considered among the best players in the league.
Barkley’s co-host Kenny Smith, who has interviewed for multiple NBA coaching jobs after displaying a high basketball IQ as a coach and television analyst, also disagreed with the statements about Wembanyama.
Fellow analyst Kenny Smith disagreed with Barkley and his gloomy predictions for Wembanyama.
Wembanyama has wowed scouts with his ability to dribble while standing six feet away.
He has also displayed amazing 3-point shooting for a player of his imposing stature.
Smith responded to Barkley’s comments by saying, “He’s a special talent because of his ability to handle the ball and shoot the ball.”
“I think his skill set is the way he scores, even in the European game, it’s very similar to the way he would score in the NBA,” Smith continued after an interruption from Barkley. So I don’t think it’s a fit for him.
“It’s not like… I think there were mistakes where guys had to change their game and add something to it.”
‘This guy shoots all three, he handles the ball, he gets into areas of the floor, seven foot five, he’s going to shoot you. Not a lot of guys can really defend it and the ball handling is what really makes it special for me. It’s nothing more than his ability to handle basketball.