With the 2022 NBA draft now behind us, the cycle restarts as draft experts begin to change their focus to the 2023 NBA draft — with Victor Wembanyama seen as the ultimate prize.
In For The Win’s Bryan Kalbrosky first 2023 NBA mock draft, he has the Oklahoma City Thunder landing the generational prospect with the No. 1 pick:
“He’s so good that longtime contenders (like the Spurs, Pacers, and Jazz) are suddenly willing to rebuild. Even the slight chance of landing Wembanyama might be worth it. But in this mock draft imagination, the big man will call Oklahoma City his new home.
Wembanyama is the ultimate reward for years of tanking by Sam Presti’s Thunder, and a frontcourt pairing of Wembanyama with Chet Holmgren would be nightmarish on both sides of the ball for opponents. The two players, who faced each other in the U19 World Cup, have a combined wingspan of more than 15 feet.”
If the Thunder end up with a core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama, then the three-year-long will ultimately be worth it.
