Will we have a Filipino Wembanyama?

OR which teams are throwing a “brick for Vic?” Even as teams at the bottom want a shot at Victor Wembanyama, the 7-5 wunderkind of France, the NBA has become unpredictable, partly because of the deep talent pool.

There are so many players with huge potential, just did not end up on the right type of team, or the right type of coach. That has a huge impact on a player’s career, more than we can imagine.

Take the case of the Utah Jazz. Jordan Clarkson has always been playing behind someone, and he eventually got Sixth Man of the Year honors. Now that he has the reins of the team with Donovan Mitchell’s departure, it shows he’s also a capable playmaker and passer.

Being a sixth man means you provide instant offense along with the second unit, and Clarkson played that role well. But it does not mean he is not a skilled passer. How many other players in stacked NBA rosters have that same situation?

Leading the tank job

One team that can slowly lead the tank campaign is the Detroit Pistons. Currently at the bottom of the East with a 5-16 record, the Pistons top player, former first overall pick Cade Cunningham is out with an injury. That will help their tanking position, and this franchise needs a new face. Cunningham is good, but he is not a franchise player, at least not yet.

Meanwhile, two of the better tanking teams are in Texas: the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. They’ve been perennial playoff pictures, but time has caught up with them. The Rockets parade Jalen Green and Jabari Smith, a pair of top three picks, and are likely to trade away veteran Eric Gordon later in the season. The Rockets may even unload more players later on, if only to get more chances for the French unicorn.

Coach Gregg Popovich always does things the right way, even tanking. They grabbed a future gem in Jeremy Sochan–an international player that has Pop’s trademark written all over him. The Spurs let go of most of their productive players like Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker. Pop knew they were not really franchise material. But Wembanyama is.

Filipino Wembanyama? Will we ever have a unicorn like Wembanyama? Some would say that we already have one, with Kai Sotto. While he is not at the level of the Frenchman, Sotto is the best homegrown talent we have produced so far.

Wemby is leading the French Jeep Elite League in points, rebounds and blocks at age 18. If Kai Sotto ever ventured into the PBA, he would likely do the same. He would dominate as much, or even more than June Mar Fajardo.

In general, the height of Pinoy basketball players has increased. Our FIBA U-18 squad is the second tallest we’ve sent at that level, with an average height of 6’4. This team had a horde of 6’8 and 6’7 players which was a rarity in the 90s to early 2000s.

However, the tallest U-18 team for Gilas was with Kai Sotto and AJ Edu at the helm, even if they still had 6’5 forwards. After four years, we still do not have the next Kai Sotto, or the Filipino Victor Wembanyama in the pipeline. One thing’s for sure, the Filipinos won’t stop searching.

Future prospects for PBA Draft

This early, the PBA should be starting to woo top Fil-foreign players back to the country. The Fil-fors are likely to be the lifeblood of the PBA in the coming years since the best local talent would be recruited by the Japan and Korean leagues.

The PBA can afford to be lazy, though, since the UAAP teams have been working overtime to acquire talent, even if they would only be eligible to play one or two years with their school.

UP’s Henry Galinato figures to be one of those. The bruiser was heavily blamed for the momentum shift in the dramatic round 2 of the Battle of Katipunan, Season 85. Already, Schonny Winston of La Salle is projected as a top pick.

Could the PBA lure Remy Martin, Division 1 champ?