Victor Wembanyama Would Fix Blazers Defensive Struggles

The Portland Trail Blazers are hoping to win the NBA Draft Lottery in two weeks’ time so they can select 7-5 French big man Victor Wembanyama.

As a mammoth human who can stretch the floor with a mean jump shot like a shooting guard, Wembanyama is one of the most unique prospects in basketball history. While his offense is tantalizing to watch, his defense should cause mayhem for opponents in the NBA right away.

Bleacher Report describes the on-court benefits that the team would reap if Wembanyama joined the Blazers.

Jusuf Nurkić’s lack of defensive mobility stands as one of those reasons, as has a general lack of size in support of the Blazers’ diminutive backcourt. Wembanyama’s ability to alter shots at the rim and farther out on the floor could cover for Lillard and Anfernee Simons’ suspect work at the point of attack.

If Jerami Grant returns on a new contract and Shaedon Sharpe proves his late-season surge is for real, Wembanyama could combine with those two to give Portland’s best lineups more dynamic athleticism than any in memory. He and Sharpe, in particular, would allow the Blazers to take over games with speed and bounce alone.

Not only would Wembanyama enhance the Blazers’ on-court product, but he absolutely gives the team more stock off the court as well. Drafting him would likely keep Damian Lillard in a Blazers uniform for life and it would be a massive selling point for prospective free agents who wish to build a “Big 3” with Dame and Wembanyama.