“A real unicorn”: There were a lot of high expectations for Victor Wembanyama. He went above and beyond them.

Excitement surrounded the Frenchman’s arrival in the NBA. However, those who faced him in Europe a year ago are taken aback by how talented he has grown to be.

With Victor Wembanyama being selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs last year, expectations were high from the start. He was hailed as the best prospect since LeBron James, called an all-time great in the making, and standout for his 7 feet 4 inches of height.

Thanks in part to his impressive performances in two highlight exhibition games for Parisian club Metropolitans 92 against the G League Ignite in Las Vegas the previous October, he arrived in the United States to a whirlwind of excitement. There were questions about how long his thin physique would hold up, and suggestions to be patient with a young player making his NBA debut as well as relocating to a different continent were made.

However, the 20-year-old has managed to surpass the extremely high expectations placed on him during his rookie year, with averages of 21.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and a league-best 3.6 blocks per game. He has also nearly nightly highlights of incredible plays that are uploaded on social media to the astonished gaze of viewers. Those who confronted Wembanyama during his ascent in Europe anticipated much of this, albeit not nearly at this rapid pace.

Playing against Wembanyama in France, American guard Keith Hornsby said of the player: “I knew he would be good, but I didn’t think he would be this good already.” “I anticipated that he would have greater growing pains when he entered the NBA. His health and ability to play for the majority of an 82-game season were other concerns I had, but he has proven he is capable of doing so.

His skill is evident; you saw it in France the previous year. Many newbies experience some growth pains. However, since then, he has emerged as a more potent player than he was in Europe. That is mostly due to the nature of the NBA game. If you’re looking at stats, the game is eight minutes longer and you have so many more games. The drama is more freely structured. For Victor’s style of play, it fits very well.”

Basketball scout Jason Filippi, who is stationed in Europe, concurs. “I had very high expectations, but I didn’t think he would be a dominant player every single night,” Filippi adds. “His physical condition is excellent. Despite his thin build, his length allows him to avoid the desire to dominate others. He just shoots over them. On defense it’s the same thing. If you post him up, there’s nowhere to go because he’s so long.”

Wembanyama averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 3.0 blocks, and 32.1 minutes per game in the French Pro A league the previous season. In his first NBA season, few would have predicted the then-teenager to match, much less surpass, those stats, but that is exactly what he has accomplished.

Furthermore, even though he still has room for improvement, he has already made progress with his jump shot. Compared to his 27.5% on 5.0 attempts in France the previous year, his 32.2% three-point accuracy on 5.5 attempts a game is a significant improvement.

“He seems more confident in his shooting,” says Nicola Alberani, the sporting director of French club SIG Strasbourg. “He takes his shot faster.” He makes decisions more quickly and releases himself more quickly. His game hasn’t changed much; it’s just faster.”

Wembanyama’s opponent in France, American power forward Chris Horton, was struck by the youthful player’s demeanor. Horton remarks, “From what I’ve seen, he’s more aggressive.” In Europe, players tend to let the game come to them. Within a system, you play. He’s come to realize that no one can stop him from doing anything in the world. He’s also a serious rival. He detests losing. You know he’s going to attack you. His attitude of wanting to win and to dominate everybody, that’s the biggest difference I’ve seen in him.”

No other player, according to Hornsby, can do what Wembanyama can. According to Hornsby, “you might see something on a basketball court any given night with Victor that you’ve never seen before.” “He has an alien-like build. He does several standout plays that no one else can. There are a few dunks he’s had where he’s taken off from an area where no one would consider it possible to finish with a dunk, but he’s found a way to do it; sometimes even with contact and while contested, which makes it even more amazing. It shows the type of coordination he has that makes him so special to begin with.”

Wembanyama is a real game-changer on defense, even with his eye-catching offensive. In addition to being the clear front-runner for Rookie of the Year, he has a chance to become the first rookie to be selected to an NBA All-Defensive team since Tim Duncan, a former No. 1 overall choice of the Spurs. Opponents driving toward the hoop have started to do so frequently, swerving and passing the ball away as the Frenchman appears beneath the rim.

“A 7-foot-4-inch kid who can post up and show a variety of moves and at the same time shoot like a guard, he’s truly a unicorn,” Filippi remarks. “However, his defensive exploits have really impressed me. He can block a shot from a great distance and quickly find space.”

If Wembanyama’s first NBA season has taught us anything, it’s that he is not a one-man show when it comes to winning games. The Spurs had the lowest record in the league the previous season and haven’t fared much better in terms of performance; they were removed from postseason contention long ago and have spent the majority of the season in the lower echelons of the Western Conference. For this reason, they were entitled to select him.

Can he average fifteen rebounds, five blocks, and thirty points? Yes, but the group needs to get better, adds Filippi. “His professional development will follow the team’s improvement. San Antonio is aware of this. A superior point guard is required to balance Victor.

Wembanyama is already so well-rounded and reliable in terms of his personal growth that any subsequent advancements will have to do more with refinement than with a complete reworking of his talent set.

Alberani states, “I think he can become a 40% three-point shooter.” “I believe he will take home several individual honors because his style of play is so thrilling and amazing.”

Conversely, Horton believes that Wembanyama is exactly where he should be.

“How are you not going to call him one of the greatest if he continues to perform at this level for the next fifteen years?”