NBA draft 2023: Takeaways from the Victor Wembanyama-Scoot Henderson showcase in Las Vegas

Matchups between projected No. 1 and No. 2 NBA draft picks don't often happen and usually don't live up to the hype. Be it overzealous referees, injuries or nerves, it's rare to see players rise to the moment and show what truly makes them special in the most pressure-packed environments of their young careers. LeBron James facing off against Carmelo Anthony in a high school showcase in February 2002 is the gold standard many NBA executives point to as the most memorable prospect matchup they've ever witnessed. Until this past week.

In front of 200 scouts and executives from NBA teams, Scoot Henderson's G League Ignite vs. Victor Wembanyama's Metropolitans 92 in Las Vegas ended up being just as good as its St. Vincent-St. Mary vs. Oak Hill predecessor 20 years ago.

Wembanyama showed everything that makes him the most highly regarded prospect in years, with two extraordinary performances that included 73 points in 70 total minutes, demonstrating the most diverse offensive skill set we've ever seen from a 7-footer this age.

No shot was too difficult for the nearly unguardable 7-foot-4 big man with an 8-foot wingspan, whether it was creating his own one-on-one; spinning with his back to the basket; finishing lobs well above the rim; making 3-pointers pulling up off the dribble; executing sharp step-back jumpers; or running, catching and releasing from impossible vantage points with incredible footwork, body control and touch. Wembanyama also handled the ball in pick-and-roll, pushed off the defensive glass and found the open man from the perimeter. On the other end of the floor, he showed exceptional timing and mobility while putting a lid on the rim, blocking several jump shots and causing Ignite players to think twice about attacking the paint anytime he was on the floor.

Victor Wembanyama is the best prospect we've seen since LeBron James

We've been scouting Wembanyama at ESPN since he was 14 years old. But even though former ESPN employee Mike Schmitz called him "the best prospect in Europe" in February 2020 and "the world's most intriguing NBA prospect" 18 months ago, it's still astonishing to see the progress the projected No. 1 pick from France has continued to make.

While Wembanyama, now 18, has always showcased unique versatility, shot-blocking instincts, coordination, feel for the game and perimeter skill, he wasn't always this ultraconfident, aggressive big man who looks to take a team on his shoulders like he did last week. Early in his career, he struggled to play through contact and maintain his intensity for longer stretches, even being deemed soft by some onlookers because of his tendency to float, settle for jumpers and have lapses defensively. While he still has stretches where he gets outmuscled and pushed around on the defensive glass, and he is still very much filling out his lanky frame, Wembanyama's mentality has improved considerably with his consistent engagement and willingness to put his imprint on games. After making seven 3s and only four rebounds in his first contest in Las Vegas, he showed different facets by unleashing a devastating post arsenal in the second one, dishing four assists and a game-high 11 rebounds -- many of which came from out of his area, and in traffic, while he showed real physicality and grit.

A bone bruise suffered by Scoot Henderson just 4½ minutes into the second game ended up knocking the projected No. 2 pick out of the remainder of the contest for precautionary reasons. But considering what Henderson showed two days earlier, with 28 points and nine assists, and combined with Wembanyama's fireworks, few came away disappointed from the overall experience.

Henderson has clearly taken a major step forward from last season with his body, explosiveness, intensity level, perimeter shooting, half-court playmaking and defense. He looks like he is going to be difficult to dislodge from the No. 2 spot. Every team in the NBA is looking for a guard in Henderson's mold who is electric when changing gears off the dribble, can rise up sharply pulling up in midrange spots or beyond the arc, finishes creatively around the basket and finds open teammates on the move with timing and vision.

Wembanyama himself put it best at a news conference, saying, "If I was never born, I think he would deserve the first spot," while also calling Henderson a great player and his favorite in this draft class.

Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that an NBA general manager told him he anticipates a "race to the bottom like never seen before," while a team president said Wembanyama might add as much as $500 million to the value of a franchise due to the impact he would make on and off the court. Everyone knew prior to this week that Wembanyama is a significant talent and the big prize of what is expected to be a loaded draft class, but his career-best performances on U.S. soil with the entire NBA watching created a newfound sense of urgency, suggesting we might very well be looking at the best prospect to be drafted into the NBA since LeBron James in 2003.

There's already talk of signature shoe deals on the horizon -- a rarity for rookies -- either from Nike, which has Wembanyama under contract for two more seasons, or other companies vying for his services. This despite the old adage "big men don't sell shoes," which Wembanyama is looking to test with the incredible amount of interest he is generating on and off the floor.

That franchises with the three worst records in the NBA each have a 27.4% chance of landing a top-two pick should provide some comfort as teams begin to position themselves for lottery odds, potentially reshaping the trade market and giving the NBA's worst teams a license from ownership to tear down their rosters.

Wembanyama is in an ideal development situation in Paris

Many around Europe struggled to understand Wembanyama's decision in June to leave Tony Parker's ASVEL team, which competes in the EuroLeague, for the smaller Metropolitans 92 squad, rumored to be on the verge of bankruptcy. The primary reason lay with longtime French national team head coach Vincent Collet, who committed to staying with the team, to building the roster around Wembanyama and to allowing him to explore the depth of his talent by empowering him as the focal point of the offense. It's almost unprecedented for a European coach to give an 18-year-old the type of freedom Wembanyama has to bring the ball up the floor, initiate the offense and take virtually any shot he wants.

"When you are a coach, you always limit something," Collet said. "But you adjust to the potential of the player. I think it's two different things to explain to him that this thing he can do is risky and, perhaps, not the best option. You still can give him freedom, and I think it's better, because if he does it by himself, if he makes a selection himself, at the end of the day he'll be more responsible and that's also a way to get better."

And Collet seems to be having the time of his life doing so, looking just as astonished by Wembanyama's talent as fans in the building, cackling at times at some of the player's more outlandish exploits and engaging in spirited courtside conversation during the game with Rudy Gobert and agents Bouna Ndiaye and Jeremy Medjana, who represent the trio.

"I have never seen a prospect with so many tools and skills," Collet said. "It's very, very special. For France, but not only for France. He has huge potential, huge talent, and he is doing new things almost every day. That's talent. I appreciate that. I am a coach, but I am also a basketball fan. The sky is the limit for him."

Another reason Wembanyama decided to sign with the Metropolitans is the commitment the team made to developing his body and ensuring his long-term health. Wembanyama has met with countless specialists (including while in the U.S. last week), while the Metropolitans hired away highly regarded strength and conditioning coach Guillaume Alquier from a rival club. Alquier is tasked with monitoring Wembanyama's daily activities.

NBA executives saw Wembanyama go through long and rigorous stretching, flexibility and activation regimens before, after and during the games in Las Vegas. His serious approach to these sessions should offer some comfort regarding his ability to avoid the catastrophic foot, back and knee injuries that have plagued other giants in his mold historically. After working with Dirk Nowitzki's longtime coach Holger Geschwindner, Wembanyama was encouraged to forgo a heavy weightlifting routine and let his frame fill out naturally, giving NBA teams and their army of performance and sports science doctors a near blank slate to work with.

"We are always careful with how much time he is practicing and not to go too far and provoke injury," Collet said. "We worry a lot. Just before we came in, we had a meeting with our doctor. We are going to prepare a plan to increase what he is doing off the court to strengthen his body. We cannot avoid 100 percent, but we can do things and plan so that we limit the risk. But for sure it's something we think about."

Wembanyama said he has the utmost confidence in the plan that has been put forth for him: "The good thing is that I have complete trust in my coaches -- my physical coach. I have a complete trust in what I do," he said. "I don't have anything to worry about at all. I know that it's been like that all my life. If I just be myself and I work, I can do anything I feel. It's going to go well. So I just don't even need to think about it."

He also reiterated he has no plans to shut down his season, despite being encouraged to do so by NBA executives.

"I would not have gotten involved in this [Metropolitans] project if I wasn't going to go until the end," Wembanyama said. "I can't accept quitting. I'd like to make the best season with my team back in France, make the playoffs for sure, and hopefully go the furthest we can go. That's really what I want to get done right now."

Ndiaye, his longtime agent along with Paris-based Medjana, said his agency's singular focus is helping Wembanyama become one of the best players ever, not just the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

"With Victor, it's basketball first and everything else second," Ndiaye said. "The best thing about him is his character. He wants to compete and get better. [Imagine if you had told] Kobe Bryant he won't be playing anymore because of business reasons. He'd say, 'What are you talking about?' Victor is the same way. He just wants to play. With him, it's a learning process. Today, he was great. The next game he may struggle. He needs to learn how to be consistent. Repeat, be better, learn from the struggle.

"We did not come here to hide. We came for one reason: Expose Victor to everyone and teach him what the next 15 years of his life will look like in terms of managing expectations and the attention that's coming his way."

While it's dangerous to anoint players as Hall of Fame candidates before they even step foot on an NBA court, in Wembanyama's case, it feels completely understandable. Every NBA executive in the building immediately recognized the type of generational, transcendent talent he can become, in addition to being likely the most unique player we've ever come across in terms of style of play. On top of that, he comes from an ideal background and seems to have the right mentality, humility and maturity to maximize his potential.

Everything Wembanyama does defies logic and warps perception of what's possible to accomplish on a basketball court. He is going to be must-watch from the moment he enters the NBA.

Talk about him "shutting down" his season stems exactly from there: He really is so much of a can't-miss prospect that he could fall off the face of the earth for the next eight months and still be the no-brainer No. 1 pick. That's just not how he is wired though.

"I'm not going to be surprised by all this attention. If I was stunned or amazed by all of this, it would mean that I'm satisfied with it," Wembanyama said. "And I'm not. I want to get better every day.

"The state I'm at right now, it's not enough. I didn't do anything yet. I didn't play a game in the NBA. I wasn't drafted. So I need to stay focused to reach my goals, because it's going to be tough in time to get better every day and stay consistent."

G League Ignite is here to stay

It has been two and a half years since Jalen Green signed with the then-unnamed G League Ignite, signaling the advent of an alternative pathway to the traditional route of elite prospects playing a year of college basketball before heading to the NBA. After sending three top-10 picks to the draft, with another one on the way in Henderson, the G League has clearly carved out a niche in the now-crowded prospect development ecosystem. The program took another step forward with these showcase games, putting on display its sparkling new arena and its ability to create a platform that rivals college basketball's biggest games in terms of online buzz and attendance of NBA executives.

"That's what we promise our young players before they join Ignite," Shareef Abdur-Rahim, president of the G League, told ESPN. "The opportunity to bring the best young players in the world together and have them play within an NBA and G League platform. That's our commitment as a league. That's what you saw the last few days with Victor and Scoot. Having a platform to continue to develop. Helping players grow. It demonstrates the commitment that the NBA has made over the past few years in Ignite."