Kendrick Perkins spoke on NBA Today about Victor Wembanyama. When asked how many NBA championships Wemby will win in his career, he said three and explained that the elevated competition, along with concerns about his longevity as a big man might be factors in his championship success in the league.
“I believe he [Victor Wembanyama] will win three championships when it’s all said and done. It’s not gonna be easy though, right? He’s still gonna share the league with Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, and these young bulls that are coming for the same goal.”
“But I wonder (if) it’s a thing to think about – when you think of Victor Wembanyama being 7’5, right, and how long his career is actually going to be.”
“If you look at the history of guys from Yao Ming to these long guys, they didn’t have a very long career. So I wonder how much we will see of Victor Wembanyama dominating on both ends of the floor. That’s going to be a question. But I can see – if healthy, he is going to win three championships.”
“I believe [Victor Wembanyama] will win three championships when it’s all said and done. It’s not gonna be easy though, right? He’s still gonna share the league with Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, and these young bulls.”
— Kendrick Perkins 👀pic.twitter.com/OCqJSALHCl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 4, 2024
Perkins actually makes a lot of good points here. While he named young stars like Jayson Tatu, Anthony Edwards, and Ja Morant, it is important to remember that many of them are a lot older than him. All players are at least four years older than Wemby. It speaks to Wemby’s quality that he doesn’t have many other contemporaries from his age group other than maybe Chet Holmgren.
How Far Can Wembanyama Go In The League?
As Perkins pointed out, players the size of Victor Wembanyama don’t usually play for very long in the NBA, at least not at a consistent level. The only outlier in this might be Shaquille O’Neal, who played in the league for almost 20 years. However, Shaq was so dominant in his prime that even a reduced version of him could be considered a good, or even passable NBA player.
But there is one thing to consider – we are at a point in sports medicine that we have never been before, and players are able to take better care of themselves than they have in the past. A player like LeBron James, who is 39 years old, has maintained himself so well that he is still one of the best players in the world.
If Wemby can continue to elevate his game and build his frame with some more muscle, he could transform himself into the most dominant player in the NBA. He could take Giannis Antetokounmpo’s approach. Giannis entered the NBA with a fairly small frame but then put on a massive amount of muscle to become one of the powerhouse players in the league.
Wemby had an incredible first season, where he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. He finished the season by winning the Rookie of the Year award, and he even finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year race behind fellow countryman Rudy Gobert. His first season set the tone for what could be an incredible career.
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