2023 NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Arkansas guards, SEC prominent in lottery
Victor Wembanyama. 1. player. 64. . C, France. Detroit Pistons
A truly generational prospect, the 7-foot-5 Victor Wembanyama is all but guaranteed the No. 1 spot on draft night. In this case, the Pistons are the team parading through the streets on lottery night. Wembanyama has the potential to be one of the league’s best two-way players from the jump.
He’s prone to mistakes on defense, but Wemby has the unique luxury of being able to gamble and over-help on defense almost without consequence because of his speed and length. He can recover from “mistakes” unlike anyone else, frequently transforming blow-bys into poster-worthy rejections.
On the offensive end, Wembanyama has progressed from a spot-up shooter and play-finisher to a legitimate go-to scorer in France. He’s bringing the ball up the court, navigating tight spaces off the dribble, and hitting absurd contested pull-up jumpers from everywhere on the court. His recent trend of hitting running, one-legged 3s feels like a distinct homage to Luka Doncic. He’s going to break brains in the NBA.
The Pistons already have a former No. 1 pick in Cade Cunningham to carry the rebuild forward next to Wemby. Health has been an issue, but when healthy, Cunningham is an absurdly well-rounded 6-foot-7 playmaker who would surely benefit from Wemby’s diverse offensive repertoire. Add Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Wemby’s fellow Frenchman Killian Hayes to the mix, and the Detroit young core smells like the future.
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