"Do you ressurect Yao Ming to guard a Yao Ming" - Former NBA champion compares Victor Wembanyama to Kevin Durant, believes his height advantage gives him a superstar resemblance
There is plenty of hype surrounding Victor Wembanyama, the potential first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Former NBA champion Channing Frye was the latest to offer high praise to Wembanyama, comparing him to Kevin Durant and Yao Ming.
During a recent episode of his podcast, Road Trippin', Frye stated:
Think about how unguardable Kevin Durant is and then give him five inches. How do you guard him? Do you ressurect Yao Ming to guard a Yao Ming and Kevin Durant had a French baby?
Frye's comments show the level of potential that Wembanyama has. At just 18 years old, he is already drawing comparisons to Durant, one of the most prolific scorers the NBA has ever seen, and Yao, the tallest NBA Hall of Famer.
Frye continued to heap praise onto Wembanyama, adding:
He's going to transform basketball. How do you guard him? Two things I look at. Number one is shoulders. Where Chet has small shoulders and a long back, this dude is a skinny Giannis, and his motor skills.
While it might be hard for Wembanyama to live up to the praise before making his NBA debut, he has shown that he has the tools and talent to do so.
Watch Channing Frye's comments on Victor Wembanyama below (starting at the 2:26 mark):
Richard Jefferson calls Victor Wembanyama a better prospect than LeBron James
Victor Wembanyama's combination of size and skill is something that the NBA has quite possibly never seen. Channing Frye's Road Trippin' co-host Richard Jefferson shared that he believes Wembanyama is a better draft prospect than LeBron James.
Speaking on NBA Today, Jefferson discussed the two players during the prospect stage of their careers, stating:
If LeBron James, at that exact moment, showed up, Victor would go higher than him. LeBron James, and all the things that we saw - and I'm not saying that he's going to be better than LeBron James. What I'm saying is right now - I remember LeBron James, 20 years ago, that player was 6'7. This person is 7'4.
Jefferson added:
LeBron James would be number two if he was the exact same age coming in the exact same draft. LeBron James would be number two. That's how crazy this kid is as a prospect.
While it is unclear if Wembanyama will be able to live up to the hype as James did, LeBron did share that he is impressed with the 18-year-old's skill set.
LeBron James is asked if he watched Victor Webanyama play last night, and if so, if he could share his thoughts.
The answer:
youtu.be/xk13e1lzLg4 https://t.co/TEsGkv4RQ0
Watch Richard Jefferson discuss Victor Wembanyama below:
"LeBron James would be number two, that's how crazy [Victor Wembanyama] is as a prospect."
—@Rjeff24 😳 https://t.co/rfrDhUSaaJ