Porzingis speaks on his clones; Wembanyama and Holmgren originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — There are a few players who likely deserve credit for changing the big man position in the NBA, from Dirk Nowitzki to Kevin Durant to Draymond Green. But some of the biggest names in the next wave of top prospects entering the league sure look a lot like Kristaps Porzingis.
Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, has widely been compared to Porzingis. The similarities are obvious, as they are with Victor Wembanyama, the likely No. 1 pick in the 2023 class. Both are lanky and unusually skilled for players standing over seven feet tall.
Holmgren is more recognizable now after starring at Gonzaga and then in the Summer League. Wembanyama, meanwhile, is set to become much more widely known when his Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans play G-League Ignite in two showcase games in Las Vegas, on Tuesday and Thursday. Both games will air on national television.
Wembanyama will face off with Ignite star Scoot Henderson, who is also expected to be one of the first players drafted in June. Many NBA scouts and decision-makers are expected to be in attendance, including a Wizards contingent.
Wembanyama has been hailed by draft evaluators as a super prospect, the type of talent that only comes around once every few years. Except his specific archetype has never quite been seen before, as at 7-foot-2 he has the agility and footwork of a wing. He glides up and down the floor effortlessly, creating shots with an advanced ball-handling skillset and blocking shots with otherwordly length and impeccable instincts.
Porzingis was dubbed the ‘Unicorn’ by Durant early in his career because he was especially unique, but now there are a few players with the same pedigree following in his footsteps.
“Dirk was a superstar and of course he made the style of play much more acceptable by what he was doing and for everyone else after him. I grew up watching him, I grew up watching Pau Gasol and Kobe [Bryant],” Porzingis told NBC Sports Washington.
“No matter what my height was, I kind of wanted to play like that and take things from their games. Hopefully, I can do the same for the next generation coming up.”
Naturally, the Wizards big man has taken notice of the next crop of unicorns. Porzingis said he first watched highlights of Wembanyama on social media. Like most who see him play for the first time, he was amazed.
Even for Porzingis, who is 7-foot-3, Wembanyama stands out as different.
“I think [Holmgren and Wembanyama] are going to be great. Especially Victor, with how tall he is. It’s incredible how tall he is,” Porzingis said.
“I saw him on Twitter, I think. I heard about him because he’s French and we always follow European players. I saw him and was like ‘okay, interesting.’ How old is he now, [18]? He’s incredible. If he can keep that mobility and all that skillset and just keep getting stronger and keep everything the same, he’ll be just fine.”
Like Porzingis, Holmgren and Wembanyama are each over seven feet tall, make plays off the dribble and shoot a high volume of threes. Before Porzingis, it was less common to see players as tall as he is do those things, but they have a chance to continue to evolve that style of play.
Porzingis says there are only a handful of big men in the NBA who post up regularly and effectively. He named two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. There are many bigs who don’t play inside much at all.
As Porzingis described it, big men now need to “have the head of a point guard.” They have to run the floor, make plays for others and shoot from three.
Porzingis may have contributed to the advancement of his position, but he could also see things swinging back in the future. There could, in theory, come along an athlete so physically powerful he forces other big men to play closer to the basket.
“Of course, if there’s another Shaq [O’Neal] who’s going to be dominating inside in the post and then everybody else will have to adjust their game to be able to guard him. But for now, it looks like it’s going in this direction with a lot of skilled guys that can play from the outside and post up and do everything,” Porzingis said.
O’Neal was listed at 325 pounds during his peak with the Lakers in the early 2000s. According to NBA.com, the biggest player in the league last season was Tacko Fall, at 311 pounds. The heaviest star would be Jokic, at 284 pounds. So, O’Neal would have him by roughly 40 pounds. Somehow, he was also faster than Jokic, despite being that size.
O’Neal, though, still stands out as an anomaly, now 30 years after he entered the league as the No. 1 pick in 1992. If there is another ‘Shaq,’ he may not come around for a long time. So, for now, there may be more and more clones of Porzingis entering the league and finding success. Wembanyama appears to be next.