Wembanyama and Holmgren are... not Basketball's Future?

In the first quarter of a preseason matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama practically covered eight feet of the floor while slapping at a Cason Wallace drive, forced a turnover, and then dunked over Chet Holmgren. In the ensuing possession, Holmgren brought the ball, received a Lu Dort screen, and drove to the basket for a layup plus the harm.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/5a8e3a_8e51ca21c98e4f2db49f098badd50871/360p/mp4/file.mp4

This 19-second sequence epitomizes why these two "rookies" (Holmgren missed all of his first year with a lisfranc fracture) had so much buzz surrounding them heading into the 2023-24 season. Those two plays from the 7'4 Wembanayama and 7'1 Holmgren are why some fans have described basketball as becoming positionless. Those fans, however, would be wrong to use these two anomalies we conveniently call "big men" to forecast the future of basketball. Holmgren and Wembanyama are not the future of NBA Basketball. They are generational, never before seen, out-of-this-world, extraterrestrial beings (a mouth full I know).

Wembanyama was the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, while Holmgren was the second overall pick a year prior. Both players measure over seven feet tall and have wingspans measuring beyond 7'5" with Wembanayama recording a spread of eight feet. They have a combination of length, size, skill, and agility that only seems possible for an NBA2K MyPlayer Creation. While there is still growth to be made by both players in terms of weight, Holgren and Wembanyama both provide one of the most valuable assets in basketball, rim protection. Even more so, both offer rim deterrence due to their sheer size and range. Immediately, Wembanayama and Holmgren will impact their team's success due to their defensive gadgets. That is to be expected though, so what will take them beyond any player ever seen/to be seen? Guard-like ball handling and shooting at giraffe height.

Chet Holmgren had a stellar freshman season at Gonzaga. The West Coast Defensive Player of The Year sent back nearly four blocks a night and converted on 39% of his three-pointers. This monster two-way impact had scouts oozing over Holmgren's NBA potential, especially since he would be playing in a much more spacious environment. There were flashes of Holmgren's shot-creating ability during the 2022 NBA Summer League, but there was a looseness to his handle. The 2023 Summer League Chet was a much different beast, displaying a tighter, more controlled handle snatching his way into step-back jumpers.

Wembanyama was a star in France last year for Metropolitans 92, leading the LNB Pro A League in points, rebounds, blocks, and minutes per game. A dominant force on both ends of the floor, Wembanyama had countless highlights of one-legged threes and fly-swatting blocks. The one area of his game that stands out as needing improvement, or needing time to prove, is in fact his shot. Wembanyama connected on only 28% of his five threes a night. While he has incredible ball skills for a towering human, his ability to consistently knock down threes will be the difference between a game-altering to a game-breaking player.

Both Holmgren and Wembanyama pose to be two of the NBA's best young players this season. Their height, skill, and fluidity make them both mind-bending players on either end of the floor. Something to note, though, is that both 7-footers are like finding a needle in a haystack. It just does not, and probably will not happen again. While the future of basketball is indeed heading towards players developing more versatile skills, Wembanyama and Holmgren are not the future of this model. They in fact break the positionless model because they have the potential to be five players in one. To chase after the next Victor or Chet would be futile because these two players seem to be a one-time occurrence in basketball history.

This preseason game was just a glimpse into the otherworldly talents that are Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. That is probably the best way to describe them, otherworldly (which is not used liberally in this instance). It would not be surprising if it turned out that both players were sent by aliens to disrupt our basketball knowledge. The future of basketball is exciting, but to assume that Holmgren or Wembanyama is that future is to expect that there will be another player down the line who combines size, length, ranginess, agility, dexterity, coordination, and skill all in one. Does that really seem likely?