Kendrick Perkins’ bold Wembanyama claim falls short of what is needed.
It wasn’t that bad, as far as compliments go.
It’s fun to play make-believe now and then. When you reach adulthood, the time for pretend is mostly over as life’s realities bludgeon the ill-prepared and find ways to stress those who are anyway. Nostalgia hits like a summer breeze when fondly remembering the unrealistic things that brought us joy as children. For some fans, some of those memories involve envisioning their basketball team winning a championship—something that San Antonio Spurs fans didn’t have to imagine.
Now there’s no way to predict the future and yes, anything is possible, but eventually, you reach a point where you need to show some proof otherwise nobody believes in you. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies have not shown anyone that they are capable of putting together a championship team. The next one would be the first for either franchise, yet Kendrick Perkins believes that their stars are on a similar level to Victor Wembanyama.
Perkins stopped short of what he should have said about Wembanyama
The league is going to belong to one man once he reaches his peak. Winning three championships would be amazing, but that doesn’t put him in the GOAT discussions and that’s where he’ll be. Wemby has a uniquely focused mindset, gets to learn from Gregg Popovich and was drafted to an organization known for being smart, forward-thinkers who know how to put pieces around a talented star. The odds that he accomplishes the vast majority of his goals are high.
Perkins was ultimately complimenting the Rookie of the Year, but it was a conservative nod based on, not just the world’s expectations, but his own. Wemby has embraced the hype from the beginning, deliberately crafting his daily routines to achieve everything the NBA has to offer. By the time he’s done, he’ll likely be a multi-time MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
The other players Kendrick Perkins mentioned are great, but there are always several Hall-of-Famers who never won in their era because it was dominated by someone else. Well, the one who is meant to dominate has arrived, and the destruction left in his wake at the expense of the accolades of others won’t be pretty to anyone—except for Spurs fans.
