To much fanfare, Las Vegas is playing host to the G-League Ignite team and Metropolitan 92, in a unique matchup showcasing presumptive first and second overall draft picks Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson.
With one game played on Tuesday and another scheduled for Thursday afternoon, the showcase of top 2023 prospects has so far been exactly what the NBA was hoping for. Wembanyama has created an identity as a loveable foreign prospect who talks just a little bit of trash, and Scoot Henderson is a do-all, athletic guard who would usually be the consensus number one draft pick. This is not a normal year, and the 7-foot-4 (or taller) Wembanyama takes the cake.
Presumed No. 1 2023 draft pick Victor Wembanyama on presumed No. 2 pick Scoot Henderson: "He’s really a great player. If I was never born, I think he would deserve the first spot.”
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) October 3, 2022
In the matchup on Tuesday night, Henderson and the Ignite beat Metropolitian 92 by a score of 122-115. Henderson put up an absurd 28 points on efficient scoring and added nine assists, two steals, and five rebounds. While Victor and company lost, he put up a mind-boggling 37 points, five blocks, and shot 7/11 from deep. This is against the best semi-pro team in America, not subpar competition. Victor Wembanyama has arrived, and he’s the real deal.
Victor Wembanyama is a 7’3” menace, a basketball prospect the likes of which we have never seen.
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) October 5, 2022
37 points, 5 blocks, 7/11 from three in a classic duel against Scoot Henderson.
Let’s break down the tape, shall we? pic.twitter.com/fufuljZjcb
The NBA should be salivating for what these two matchups mean. On Tuesday, it was very apparent that Wembanyama is the better of the two prospects, but that’s not a knock on Henderson. He can do it all and has the potential to be a generational talent. With the two competing together before they even get to the league, the NBA can market the pair as a rivalry for decades to come.
On Thursday, October 6th, the two square off again at 3:00 EST on ESPN2. So far, the matchup has proven the impossible: Victor Wembanyama is perhaps the most exciting prospect ever, across all major sports, and the G-League Ignite is a real team that can compete against a variety of competition. The NBA should be hoping for an exact repeat of Tuesday’s game: high scoring, exciting, with the Ignite coming out on top but with Wembanyama leading the way.
I’m sure the NBA loves the hype, but it has also potentially created a “race to the bottom” like we’ve never seen with loads of teams egregiously tanking for a 14 percent chance at one of these guys:
Story with @wojespn: Amid a historic "race to the bottom," Victor Wembanyama's agent Bouna Ndiaye shoots down notion top prospect should shut it down until NBA draft https://t.co/D9apqMYCBJ pic.twitter.com/KTeh9AJAFA
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) October 5, 2022
It’s a double edged sword for the NBA, which thrives on offseason and draft hype, but also wants a competitive league that doesn’t have half the teams trying to lose on purpose.