Victor Wembanyama is the consensus number one pick in the 2023 NBA draft. The French 19-year-old stands at 7’4″, has an 8’0″ wingspan, can dribble the ball like a forward, and is ubiquitous on both ends of the floor. These generational attributes have led him to be dubbed as the most hyped basketball prospect since a phenom from Ohio named LeBron James entered the scene. The prize that is Wembanyama will be granted to whatever team wins the first overall pick during the May 16th draft lottery, something that he himself knows.
Wembanyama may be the closest thing to a guaranteed star we’ve seen, but his potential and development would be better maximized with some teams than with others. In this article, I’ll be going over why Detroit would best maximize the potential of Victor Wembanyama.
Detroit is in a three-way tie for the best odds to land Victor, and for his sake, he should hope they come out on top. The Pistons have already built a foundation for their rebuild through Cade Cunningham, the number one pick in 2021 who is the current face of the franchise, and Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, two 2022 lottery picks. Due to the skillsets of these three, I believe that Victor would best be developed in Detroit.
On offense, Victor would be playing off of the Cunningham-Ivey backcourt. Cunningham and Ivey have both shown the ability to be great playmakers, especially Cunningham, who has a more natural ability to read the floor and create openings for his teammates. On the other hand, Ivey has serious potential to be an elite playmaker as a combo guard, as he possesses a rare combination of explosive burst and a nice passing ability that he uses to pressure defenses and get his teammates open. While Cunningham’s early-season injury didn’t allow us to see this backcourt fully mesh together, there’s no doubt in my mind that they will fit perfectly. By adding Victor to an elite playmaking backcourt, the Pistons would take off much of the offensive burden from him. This would enable Victor to play as a connector and play-finisher on offense, while occasionally getting the reps to hone his off-the-dribble skills at the NBA level. On offense, the Pistons are a perfect fit for Victor.
Defensively, the story is similar, mainly due to the presence of Jalen Duren. Duren is a special type of defender, having the grown-man strength that allows him to hold his own while being backed down by NBA centers, but also having the elite foot speed that helps him keep up with players on the perimeter. These skills would greatly benefit a player like Wembanyama, whose main impact on defense comes from being a weak-side rim protector and may struggle in the post against stronger centers. A front court of Duren and Wembanyama would have virtually no flaws on defense, being able to switch on the perimeter, bang down low, and erase shots at the rim.
Wembanyama’s main appeal for Detroit should be the fact that he would not hinder the development of any of their core pieces. Their centers currently are Jalen Duren, who could easily play PF next to Victor, along with James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III, neither of which have proven to be long-term member of the Detroit core. Wembanyama can easily slot in as the starting center from day one for a team that is already uncertain in that position. Additionally, his presence would only make the development of Detroit’s real core pieces, Cunningham, Ivey, and Duren, more efficient because of how well his game complements them.
Victor would be a seamless fit on both ends for Detroit, and if they come away with the number one pick, the rest of the league should be on notice.
Floor General 
One reply on “Why the Detroit Pistons are the Best Destination for Victor Wembanyama”
7’4! Unbelieveable! Another great read from The Floor General
LikeLike