Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Former Los Angeles Lakers champion Metta Sandiford-Artest — who some fans may know better as Metta World Peace — has high expectations for San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama.
The 2010 NBA champion thinks Wembanyama is the closest thing to NBA great Wilt Chamberlain that folks these days will ever see, and he even thinks the 19-year-old will score 101 points in a game at some point.
Chamberlain holds the record for most points scored in an NBA game with 100, which he did in 1962.
Wembanyama is having a solid debut season with the Spurs. Although there have been some growing pains, he’s averaging a respectable 18.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.1 blocks per game. He leads the league in that last category.
Earlier this season, the youngster dropped 38 points against the Phoenix Suns while shooting 15-for-26 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep. That stands as arguably the most impressive scoring performance of his NBA career so far.
He has a long way to go if he ever wants to flirt with Chamberlain’s scoring record, but time is on his side, as he seemingly has a long career ahead of him.
For now, he’s likely more focused on taking small steps in the right direction and helping the Spurs inch closer to contention. San Antonio is 5-27 this season and owns the worst record in the Western Conference.
Sandiford-Artest’s prediction might raise some eyebrows, but he is certainly qualified to express his opinion after a solid NBA career. In addition to winning a title with the Lakers, the journeyman earned several defensive accolades during his time in the league to go along with one All-Star appearance and one All-NBA nod.
The current rookie class in the NBA is an exciting one, with players like Wembanyama of the Spurs and Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder headlining it. There is plenty of young talent around the league right now, indicating that the future of the sport is in good hands.
Time will tell if Wembanyama becomes an all-time great and whether or not he’s able to break some records along the way.
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