With Olympic buzz surrounding Victor Wembanyama, ex-NBA champ makes bold prediction
Amid Victor Wembanyama's standout play at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ex-NBA champion Kendrick Perkins made a bold prediction about the rising star center's NBA future.
Despite being only 20 years old, Wembanyama led France to a second-place finish (2-1) in Group B, clinching an Olympic quarterfinal berth. His squad secured victories over Brazil (78-66) and Japan (94-90) before falling to Germany (85-71) in its final group-phase contest.
Through three games, Wembanyama is averaging 17.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.7 steals and 2.0 blocks per game, shooting 48.6% and 43.8% from 3. He leads the French in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, ranking second in blocks behind his co-star Rudy Gobert (2.7 bpg).
The 7-foot-4 big man's remarkable two-way Olympic showing has furthered excitement about his upcoming sophomore NBA season. On Friday's edition of ESPN's "NBA Today," Perkins touched on Wembanyama's career outlook, predicting him to win three NBA titles.
"I believe he will win three championships when it's all said and done," Perkins said. "It's not gonna be easy, though. ... He's still gonna share a league with Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant and these young bulls who are coming for the same goal."
Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs are coming off a lackluster 14th-place (22-60) Western Conference finish. However, they have since added veterans Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes via free agency and trade. They also drafted two-way UConn guard Stephon Castle No. 4 in this year's draft.
So, between Wembanyama's expected perpetual development and solid roster reinforcements, San Antonio could take a step forward next season. However, the franchise still appears far away from contending for championships.
Kendrick Perkins on his main concern about Victor Wembanyama
Kendrick Perkins may be bullish on Victor Wembanyama's chances of establishing himself as an NBA great. However, he also expressed concern about Wembanyama's lanky body holding up long term.
"It's a thing to think about when you think about Victor Wembanyama being 7-foot-4, and how long his career's actually going to be," Perkins said.
"If you look at the history of guys [like] Yao Ming, these long guys, they didn't have very long careers. So, I wonder how much will we see of Victor Wembanyama dominating on both ends of the floor. That's gonna be a question."
Despite concerns about his size, Wembanyama hasn't dealt with any major injuries thus far. This past season, he played in 71 out of 82 contests, winning Rookie of the Year and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
So, if the French phenom can continue hovering around the 70-game mark annually, he appears poised for an illustrious career.
Also Read: Spurs legend compares Victor Wembanyama to LeBron James, noting his only NBA concern