Victor Wembanyama makes his long-awaited NBA debut Wednesday, Oct. 25 as the San Antonio Spurs host the Dallas Mavericks in the season-opener.
The 7-foot-4 Frenchman is regarded in the same light as generational prospects like LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson. Wembanyama truly is a unicorn, and it’s going to be exciting to watch him assimilate to the league and to bet on his performance.
Here are the bets I would — and wouldn’t — be making on Wembanyama before the season starts:
Rookie of the Year (-120) — PASS
I would not bet him to win the award at that price because injury is a possibility and there are other very strong contenders in the market. It’s worth pointing out, too, that the last time we had a preseason odds-on favorite win the award was 2007-08 with Kevin Durant. KD, of course, went on to win in overwhelming fashion. I wouldn’t blame anyone, especially Spurs fans, for wanting to make this play.
OVER 17.5 PPG this season (-155) — PLAY
Wembanyama is just too gifted offensively. His size, dexterity, range, offensive package –f it’s all too good to be true in a 7-foot-4 frame. He will immediately be one of the most unique and gifted offensive players in the game. In three preseason games, Wembanyama averaged 19.3 PPG on 55.2% shooting from the floor in just 21 MPG. He also has the benefit of coming to a team that doesn’t have an already established scoring star, so he’ll have all the latitude he wants to fill it up offensively.
UNDER 8.5 RPG this season (-110) — PLAY
While Wembanyama likely has an easy time adjusting to putting the ball in the bucket, I worry he’ll struggle a bit in terms of the strength and physicality of the NBA game. Of course, he’s long enough to snatch balls off the rim, but I imagine he’ll easily get pushed off his spot by shorter but stronger players. Wembanyama averaged just 5.0 RPG in the preseason.
Spurs OVER 29.5 wins (-125) — PLAY
Can Wembanyama add 8 wins to the team this season? I think so. Last year’s team was 22-60, so we need them to finish 30-52 or better to win this bet. Not only is Wembanyama a big addition for this team, but the growth of young players like Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Zach Collins around Wembanyama should make this a more difficult team to beat this year. Oh, and having Gregg Popovich as the head coach certainly doesn’t hurt. Pop is still one of the best in the business.