Devante Jones playing for Metropolitans 92 on ESPN2 right now. It’s halftime. That’s the team Victor Wembeyana is on. They are playing Scoot Henderson and the G League ignite. Jones hasn’t done much. Henderson and Wembeyana both look phenomenal. If there was a year to intentionally, obnoxiously tank, I feel like this is the year you do it. Both look like legitimate potential franchise changers.
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Scoot has that easy athleticism where he can get to the hoop without the PnR. His shooting has improved. I’d like to see more playmaking but he’s 18 and played well last season at 17. Wemby is the presumed #1 overall pick but Scoot has a good argument to supplant Wemby at #1 overall.
It’ll take a lot for Wemby to not go 1 imo. He shoots too well, moves and handles too well and is obviously a monster defensively. Scoot almost certainly will be more productive at first in the league but the upside with Wemby is unreal.
Scoot would be the shoo in #1 in most classes.
Wemby has injury issues which is scary because of his height and skinny frame. Plus he’s raw defensively. There are a few times in PnR where he didn’t line up properly and got burned a few times from it. Wemby isn’t a big because he can handle the ball and make plays from it which is why Chet and Wemby aren’t the same type of prospect meaning Chet is a big who can shoot while Wemby is a skilled big. Also, Chet is much better as an interior defender.
Depending on the team needs, Scoot has a case for #1 IMO.
It’s a rare game where everyone lived up to the hype and it’s fun to watch both play.
Wemby is a unicorn. Players his size just don’t possess that skillset. There are Scoot-like players that come out every few years. So even though Scoot is probably going to be great, you can’t pass on your one and only opportunity to draft someone like Wemby. Guards are way easier to find.
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I thought Wembayana was unreal, and I don’t think Scoot is in the same stratosphere.
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Wemby to me doesn’t look as prone to durability issues as Chet. He’s just a bit thicker and broader. I would say I’m encouraged by his fluidity at that size – doesn’t move like a guy who can hardly move because he’s so tall – but you can say the same about Chet, for whom unfortunately the durability concerns are only greater now.
That said, the skills are so ridiculous and there’s no Paolo to draft over him. I’d be really surprised if Scoot goes #1.
Wemby has number of injuries in the last couple of years so durability is a concern.
Wemby suffered psosa injury this summer, last year with a shoulder contusion, fractured finger, and stress fracture in fibula 2 years ago. Considering his height and build, it’s a concern.
Oh, I wasn’t aware. Shoulda Googled that, but, yeah. Stress fracture in fibula seems particularly concerning.
Chet had one injury in his career and it just happened to be on a nondescript play in the Pro-AM league game. Chet is more durable than Wemby based on injury history but you have to worry about their build and height because both are extremely tall so it’s something to monitor going forward.
Agreed. But you never know. Embiid was looking like a possible Greg Oden total injury casualty until he just didn’t anymore.
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I didn’t even notice that he was playing.
Wemby’s frame and movement looks to me a lot like Lew/Kareem did back as a high schooler (judging from YouTube clips). Except he’s 7’4" or 7’5" instead of 7’2", and he has a jump-shot, whereas Kareem had more going for him in the post.
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The vets on the Ignite team used to be NBA guys who had aged out….now they’re “never were” guys like Dawkins and John Jenkins (their second and third leading scorers last night) in stead of has been a.
Jordan Bohannon just signed with the Iowa Wolves. That team could now feature Nik Stauskas, Luka Garza and Bohannon on the court at the same time. I will stream every single game.
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Are those games even streamable
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I can’t imagine Bohannon getting meaningful playing time—even in the G League.
Jon Teske is on Stu Douglass’s latest podcast episode and says he’s transitioning out of playing basketball professionally. Cites that the D League is more of a guard’s league and he wasn’t getting shots, plus was tired of the nomadic lifestyle and living out of his suitcase. A little surprising since he’s only 25…but it’s a pretty good listen.
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I miss him. We’ve gone seamlessly to Hunter and that’s great, but I miss having a center like Teske. Still haven’t adjusted to being a low-post team.
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