Breaking down Victor Wembanyama’s stardom with San Antonio Spurs | Dan Patrick Show | NBC Sports

Breaking down Victor Wembanyama’s stardom with San Antonio Spurs | Dan Patrick Show | NBC Sports

Dave Bilis, ESPN college basketball analyst. All of a sudden, I’m watching the Spurs game. There’s Jay and he is raving about Victor Wimbeyama. When’s the last time you raved about somebody like you did Victor Wimbeyama? Wow. Uh probably Zion Williamson in college, something like that, or LeBron, uh Kevin Durant, you know, when they were in college and coming into the draft. Um, you know, it’s rare that uh that you have a guy that you’re you’re looking at him going, I’ve never seen this before. And you know, you’re you’re old enough. I’m not sure how much your audience is, but the the only guy I could kind of compare Wimonyyama to was Ralph Samson. Like if I really believe this, if Ralph Samson were born 21 years ago, he’d probably be in the Wimyama atmosphere because, you know, he was Samson uh graduated college in ‘ 83 and he was MVP the All-Star game in 85 and averaged over 20 and 10 with the Rockets uh before he got injured. And at 74, really graceful, athletic, very, very skilled, but he was put down the post. If he were allowed to play today’s game, you know, I think it he could be in that atmosphere, but there’s there’s never been anything like Webyama at at 76 or whatever he is now. He was standing next to Derrick Lively the second who’s 71, and he made him look like it made it look like uh Derek Lively was standing next to you. How would you describe his game? He is uh he’s like a 7 foot6 praying mantis that uh has the skills of a 61 guard. And he’s he’s become more physical to the point where last year I think he was shooting about eight almost nine threes per game and half the amount of free throws. And this year he’s not taking near as many threes. I mean, he might be taking two a game and he he’s shooting a ton of free throws. I mean, he’s playing his game more in the paint and uh and making his presence known from 15 ft and in rather than outside of that area and his effectiveness has gone way up. I I just think he’s learning how to be uh more dominant in every aspect of the game and uh he’s only going to get better as long as he stays healthy. I mean, he’s 21 years old. Yeah. And he’s only going to get better. It’s uh it’s crazy. But how much of his development do you lean on where he played that he didn’t go to college, but growing up, you know, inademies, uh the prodevelopment and the all-around development that you find in Europe that you don’t necessarily find here in the United States? I don’t know that that’s necessarily that big of a deal. Um, look, I think we have in the United States, we’ve got a skill development culture of late and more of an AA culture. Uh, so look, we’re going to find something to complain about. I mean, when we were in college, um, the coaches complained that we played too much pickup ball and we didn’t do enough skill work. And now they’re complaining that they do too much skill work, they don’t play enough pickup. Nobody plays pickup anymore and they don’t know how to play five on five. We’re always going to complain about something. But I think what we wind up missing in this, Dan, and I’m not saying you, but but you know, we tend to still have this narrative that that foreign players are doing things substantially different than we are. Instead of looking at it like since the 92 Olympics and the dream team, basketball’s exploded worldwide. We still have most of the best players in the world, but we’re not going to have them all anymore. and and the idea like right now the top five candidates for MVP are all foreignb born players. Um Shael just Alexander won it last year. He’s Canadian. Uh we’re not going to have all the best players anymore. That’s just not going to happen. The world’s too big and basketball is the second most popular sport in the world behind soccer. But if I put a non US5 against a US5, who would you take? a non US5 against the US5. Yeah. So, you’re asking me the international team. I I mean, I would take Joic, Wanyama, Donuch, uh Shay, Gilgis, Alexander, um that crew and uh they’d be really hard to beat. Uh but but we’d be competit like we’re still winning gold medals now, but the problem is like the it’s kind of like the Ryder Cup. You can’t have just one country uh against the United States. uh we’re still going to win that. But if you take the rest of the world combined, of course, of course that’s going to be a problem. But like if you know if we were just playing if the Ryder Cup if the US Rder Cup team was just playing Great Britain and Ireland, uh now we we we dominate. That’s why they went to Europe. Um that’s why I say we still have most of the best players in the world. The overwhelming majority we still have, but we don’t have them all. I get also Giannis on that non. Yeah, Giannis. That’s the top. Thank you. That’s the top five I was talking about for MVP and and the first American you’re going to mention American born player is probably going to be Anthony Edwards of Minnesota and he’s further down the list for MVP right now. Talking to Jay Bis. Uh he’s got Duke in Texas on November 4th and Kansas, North Carolina November 7th. What did you make of Cooper Flag and his performance uh against the Spurs? good, not great, but I I think you kind of expect that a little bit. Like he had a couple of things, if you want to say, working against him. Uh he was at 18 asked to play the point guard position in his first NBA game, which certainly isn’t an easy transition to make. He didn’t play point at Duke. He’s got point guard skills, obviously. Uh and he was being guarded by Stfan Castle, who’s one of the handful of the best defenders in the league in my view. Uh, and you know that that’s that’s a little bit of a a challenge for a player. And then once if you do get by your initial defender, you’re running into Webyama. Um, so that’s a challenge. He’s had some really good games and really good moments. And like most rookies, I think he’s going to have his ups and downs throughout the year, but but he’s the real deal. And what is he averaging? 13 points, seven rebounds, whatever. and he’s made some great plays and he’s made some that haven’t been as great, but I think as he gets adjusted and that that won’t take too long to happen. Uh he’s going to establish himself as one of the best players in the league. Anything stand out from Austin Reeves when you saw him in college? Yeah. So Austin Reeves started his career at Witchaw State and uh the first time I really saw him play I saw him before that but when I really saw him play was in Maui when he was with Witchdon. He had a shoulder injury and played through it. And my thought was, man, this guy can really shoot it and he’s tough. Uh, but did I think, okay, he’s going to be a great NBA player at that time? No. And then when he transferred to Oklahoma, you’re going, man, this guy can really play. Uh, but still, you weren’t thinking like I wasn’t um I wasn’t like jumping banging my fist on the table when he didn’t get drafted going, “What are these guys doing?” you know, this is idiotic. How can you not draft this guy? Um, that’s happening more and more now where players tend to to blossom a little bit later and uh and you see more undrafted players having success in the NBA because it’s not all about being a superstar. You you know, you got the superstars that are in a small category in the lottery. And then uh I think I heard one of my colleagues uh last night, I think it was last night, um talking about, you know, how did how did these guys go undrafted? How did Nicole Joic go in the second round? Well, I don’t remember any of those guys saying why why wasn’t it happening at the time. You know, scouting’s not easy and uh and you’re going to you’re going to miss. Like all 30 teams missed on Joic in the first round. Uh so it’s not like it’s not like somebody’s got a magic formula of spotting this stuff in advance. You know, you do do the best you can. But Austin Reeves is a he’s a stud. He’s a he’s a tough guy. Who’s the guy, the player that you thought he was going to be great and didn’t turn out to be? Thought was going to be great. Um, God, there have been a whole bunch of them. Um, I don’t have one off the top of my head, Dan, that I was like, but oh my god, I thought this guy was going to be unbelievable. I mean, there have been there have been a bunch that, you know, we scratched our heads the year Anthony Bennett from UNLV was taken number one by Cleveland. like I didn’t see that coming, but I also didn’t see him uh being being out of the mix as quickly as he was. Um I didn’t see the Markel Folz thing coming. Like, who could have who could have imagined that he’d have sort of issues that weren’t related to his talent that would be uh so debilitating for him? Uh but there have been a lot of guys that that we’ve over like the the players are so young when you’re evaluating them. Um it’s hard not to over project them at times because you’ve seen other similar players, similar comps that did extraordinarily well and you go, man, he he fits the suit of this guy. Um so that that happens too. And u that’s why I think the longer I’ve done this, uh uh the more I’ve come to come to realize for myself that, you know, like we’re kind of guessing uh here. You do the best you can, but you don’t know. you believe like I believe this. Uh like when LeBron came out, I felt like I knew like I I but but I’m I’ve gone more to I I really believe this. Who’s the best player in college basketball this year? Uh the best player Well, we’ve got an unbelievable group of freshmen that are going to dominate the top of the draft. So BYU’s got AJ Demana and Duke’s got Cameron Boozer. Uh Kansas has uh has Darren Peterson. So, all these guys are gonna compete for the number one pick. If I had one player I could have for a team, I would want Braden Smith of Purdue, the point guard. He’s the best point guard in the country, and I don’t think it’s close. Uh, and while a lot of people around the college space are are ringing their hands and predicting doomsday about, you know, that there are no rules and it’s the Wild Wild West and all that stuff, which it’s not. Um, Purdue is keeping their players and they’re not they’re not getting McDonald’s All-Americans every year and they’re winning at a really high level. So, the idea you can’t do it um in this transactional world, I love that word, that word transactional. Can’t have relationship anymore. It’s all transactional. As if as if a scholarship wasn’t a transaction. Those were transactions. Um uh but you can you can do it and quote unquote do it the right way like Matt Painter does. Uh you don’t have to you don’t have to you know sell out and all that stuff. It’s possible. Good to talk to you. Always good to talk to you. Thanks Dan. Thanks buddy. That’s Jay Bilis. Jay will be on the call. Duke and Texas on November 4th. Kansas North Carolina November 7th. He called the Victor Wimbeyama Spurs game against the Mavs in Cooper flag. Anthony Davis is injured again. Now, that’s a guy going to be a Hall of Famer, but I don’t know if I want him on my team just because he shows you the glimpses and you go, “Oh my god.” And then he doesn’t play. You know, when Barkley gives you the nickname Street Clothes, that’s not a good nickname. Yes, Mark. Well, there’s a difference. There’s a difference between Anthony Davis and Rudy Gobear. You know, Anthony Davis can play and be a big part of a winning team. Rudy Gobear is just tall. Well, he’s still he was defensive player of the year what, four times. But who’s playing defense? Well, you need to have that rim protector, Marvin. They love that at the draft. You got a He’s a rim protector.

Jay Bilas joins Dan Patrick to discuss Victor Wembanyama’s “crazy” potential as he continues to improve, how the United States would fare against an international basketball team and more. #NBCSports #DanPatrickShow #NBA
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Breaking down Victor Wembanyama’s stardom with San Antonio Spurs | Dan Patrick Show | NBC Sports
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