1. San Antonio Spurs
Victor Wembanyama | 7-4 center | 19 years old | Metropolitans 92
The Scout: The best draft prospect to enter the NBA since LeBron James. It’s that simple. Wembanyama is the epitome of a franchise changer. As a teenager, he is leading the French League in points, rebounds and blocks. It’s hard to overemphasize how incredible Wembanyama’s long-term potential is on both ends of the floor. He will immediately be the biggest, longest player in the NBA, which allows him to change the geometry of the court defensively. He has great instincts and recovery ability on that end. He’s doubling everybody else in the French League in blocks per game. But moreover, he is also a legitimate shot creator at center who can score off the bounce with creativity and knock down shots with ease off pull-ups or drives to the rim. He’s a terrific finisher inside due to his length and touch and is already starting to experiment with shots that could make him special such as some of the turnaround pull-ups, the fake-spin shimmies and even the weirdo floater 3s. He is a historic prospect, one well within the tapestry of past elite center prospects such as Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Ralph Sampson, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and Anthony Davis.
The Fit: Wembanyama fits every single team. He’s the player you build around. He is the fit. San Antonio has found some strong players in the latter half of the lottery and in the back portion of the first round, but the Spurs don’t have a star yet. Wembanyama slides everyone down a peg into roles that are more suitable. Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson can be young, high-level wings who don’t get the top defensive assignments. Wembanyama will be a tremendous fit next to Jeremy Sochan in the frontcourt, with Sochan as an all-around gap-filler who was productive as a teenage rookie. He’ll be able to be brought along slowly as a scorer as he continues to rework his shot. The Spurs got to transition beautifully from the David Robinson era into the Tim Duncan era and now slide perfectly into the Victor Wembanyama era.
The Range: No. 1.
2. Charlotte Hornets
Scoot Henderson | 6-2 lead guard | 19 years old | G League Ignite
The Scout: Henderson is an explosive playmaker who has been seen as the likely No. 2 overall pick behind Wembanyama all season. In many other drafts, Henderson would be the clear No. 1 pick. He’s going to be an exceptionally hard problem to solve for defenses from the first day he hits the NBA because of how well-rounded he is in ball-screen actions. He can pull-up and hit floaters, he can get all the way to the rim and finish with authority or touch, he can play slow or fast, and he can make high-level passing reads. On top of that, he’s going to force the action in transition and drive easy points that way, as well as be the guy from day one who sets the tone for your organization as the top dog on the team due to his competitiveness and drive. This is truly an elite, franchise-altering prospect. No. 2 is no consolation prize in this year’s class.
The Fit: I love the idea of putting Henderson in the backcourt with LaMelo Ball. It would create one of the most exciting, up-tempo attacks in the NBA with how good both players are at pushing pace. But more importantly, they complement each other well. Both have the ability to blend scoring and playmaking together, but Henderson tends to think more about the scoring side of the things, and Ball thrives as a creative decision-maker who can make high-level passing reads from any angle. Henderson’s elite midrange game would complement Ball’s 3s and layups approach. And I would bet Henderson’s overall competitiveness and attitude will really vibe with the intensity coach Steve Clifford brings. Don’t rule out Miller here, though. The team does have a significant need on the wing long term. This will be the swing point of the top five.
The Range: No. 2 to No. 4.
Read the rest of Vecenie's post-lottery NBA Mock Draft here, featuring all 60 picks.
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; photos: Jacob Kupferman, Wesley Hitt, Auerelien Meunier / Getty Images)
