The Scary Truth NOBODY Is Talking About_ Wembanyama VS Henderson

One is considered an alien, while the other is considered a basketball prodigy. One dunks effortlessly, while the other dunks emphatically. The 2023 NBA Draft will probably go down as one of the most anticipated drafts since the LeBron James sweepstakes back in 2003. And it's mainly because everyone is bewildered by the 7 foot 4, ultimate unicorn, Victor Wambunyama. At the moment, most mock drafts, actually let me rephrase that, ALL mock drafts, are currently locked in with Wemby as the consensus number one overall pick. But, under the radar, there's actually another highly touted prospect coming in hot behind him. And sheesh guys, it's a good year to have a top pick. I mean, reports are saying that if Wambunyama wasn't around, then there's absolutely no doubt this kid would be the consensus number one pick. His name is Scoot Henderson, by the way, and at just 18 years old, he's already tearing up grown men in the G-League as if they're just high school kids. Today, we're going to take a closer look at the two of them, at each of their games, and see who among these generational talents truly deserves to be at the top of the 2023 NBA Draft. To start this off, let's go over what Victor Wambunyama brings to the table. Standing at a whopping 7 foot 3, or 7 foot 4, or whatever the case may be, with an 8 foot long wingspan, this dude is a unique basketball specimen that looks like he was created straight out of 2k by a kid who just wanted the best possible statistics in every category. I'm not kidding when I say, if Giannis is a freak, then this kid is an alien. And I got evidence to prove it. Look here. When was the last time you saw someone climb over three rows of chairs with two steps? My goodness, guys. On the defensive end of the court, with his long limbs, incredible reach, and instincts, Wemby can simply effortlessly block shots like the bully who takes other kids' lunch money at school. I mean, for faster guards who can blow past him, he's got some quick laterals to catch up and swat the ball away. Then for everyone else, his mere presence can cause players to hesitate to take shots, and by just putting his hands up, he can probably alter shots and decrease opponent field goal percentages by 10-20%. How crazy is that? Next, let's look at his offensive skills, which actually is quite the versatile package. In terms of just shooting, he has a smooth looking jumper with a nice follow through, and if you ask me, his shot making ability at that size is just absolutely crazy. His towering frame allows his fadeaways to become virtually unguardable, and he also has guard-like handles as well as solid footwork, which is pretty remarkable and underrated for someone at that height. Then, if he gets in position and catches the ball in the post… Basically, like I said earlier, Wemby is a video game type of player that has somehow miraculously been brought to life to defy the conventional and push the boundaries even further of the so-called unicorns in the modern NBA. This 18-year-old kid is currently tearing up the Premier League in France on both ends of the floor, averaging 21.3 points while notching 9 boards and 3 blocks a ballgame. With his incredible skillset and a once-in-a-generation size, Wemby will certainly be replicating that stat line year after year after year when he gets to the big leagues. He'll probably average a double-double in his sleep as long as he remains healthy throughout his run in the NBA. If San Antonio gets him, I'm predicting Tim Duncan 2.0. Now, from Victor Wemby, let's now switch gears and talk about Scoot Henderson. Despite being like 13 inches shorter than Wemby, Henderson looks bigger than his actual size as he can poster guys as big as Wambayama with his insane athleticism and elite guard skills. Right off the bat, you can see he has that insane speed. He's been said to have the quick first step of a young D-Rose combined with the explosiveness of a prime Russell Westbrook. I mean, this kid doesn't need any warm-up as he can go from 0 to 100 real quick. And in transition, you better get out of his way because if not, he'll put you on a poster before you even know what's going on. Now, aside from playing above the rim, Scoot's also a great finisher below the rim. He's got a solid layup package along with smooth handles as well as a strong upper body that allows him to finish through contact. And just like other great guards, Scoot also developed that solid mid-range game to complement his slashing capabilities. Now, in terms of passing the leather, he's also a lead at facilitating and creating open shots for his teammate simply by being an offensive threat on the floor. Then lastly, what I like most about his game is his energy on both ends as he loves to crash the boards and clean up missed shots. The only weakness about his game in the past was that he didn't shoot the three ball quite efficiently when he first stepped into the G-League. But as you can see, he's already fixed this one up as he's shooting 47% from three this season. How crazy is that? Then on top of his efficiency and scoring, he's also averaging solid numbers in assists, rebounds, and steals. Now, if you laid out both Wambunyama and Henderson's stat lines today, it's clear as day that both of them are pretty even when it comes to what they produce in the box score. But, you see, stats alone can't determine the true value of a player because there's other factors to consider. In the case of Wambunyama, we already have an idea of what he can do on the court, but as we all know, players of that size have often succumbed to injuries on a regular basis and have either missed countless games or have been rendered unable to play in the NBA. I mean, take a look at what happened to former number one overall pick Andrea Barnani and another lottery talent Christaps Porzingis. They both stood beyond seven feet and were top picks of their respective draft classes, but years later, their game either slowly plummeted after getting leg injuries or they've missed so many games that they just ended up wasting a portion of that team's salary cap. Then, just in the recent draft, Chet Holgrim also fell to the big man syndrome and sadly missed his entire rookie season from an accident that looked like it wouldn't affect a shorter guard. I'm not saying or even hoping that Wambunyama suffers the same fate as the big guys that came before him. All I'm saying is that, historically speaking, there's a high chance that players over seven feet get injured. With that being said, if you're the GM or the head scout of a team with a number one pick in next year's draft, would you select Scoot Henderson instead? I mean, he's a less riskier prospect to pick than Wimby with a boatload of upsides. Though he's just 6'2", as we saw, he's clearly physically strong and has a well-balanced core to withstand the grind of the NBA. In addition, compared to the likes of Ja Morant who attacks the rim with reckless abandonment, Scoot's playstyle is more controlled as he knows how to pace his game the right way, which means that he's less likely to get injured. Then, to further add to this debate, the two of them already faced off together once, with Scoot Henderson taking the W. Anyways, with everything being said, if I had to bet money, I'd say Wambayama is still going to be the number one overall pick next year with the way the NBA has been hyping him up in the past couple of months as well as other major draft ranking sites. But despite that, Wambayama knows that Scoot could have been easily the first pick if he hadn't declared for next year's draft. Here's what Wimby said about him. He's really a great player. If I was never born, I think he would deserve the first spot. Meanwhile, here's Henderson reciprocating the respect Wimby gave him. He's very skilled, very tall, I respect his game for sure. With how lanky he is and how he moves, that's nothing but work. There is, however, a slim chance that Scoot ends up as the top pick. I mean, a lottery team like the Magic could use his services to compliment their loaded frontcourt of Bobo, Paulo Bancaro, Wendell Carter Jr, and Moritz Wagner since they don't have a solid point guard just yet. But in the end, with all factors considered, I think the win the draft lottery will definitely go all in with Wambayama, simply because he's a generational seven-footer that brings money, wins, and success to the team he's going to be playing for, given that he stays away from that injury bug.