No. 1 is going No. 1.
Victor Wembanyama -- who wore No. 1 with French team Metropolitans 92 -- is officially the first pick of the 2023 NBA Draft after the San Antonio Spurs called his name on Thursday.
The 19-year-old had declared for the 2023 draft in April, but teams had known he would be eligible to come to the NBA this offseason for multiple years. The real question was which team would get the franchise-altering opportunity to pick him.
That turned out to be San Antonio after the franchise won the draft lottery in May. The Spurs entered the lottery with a 14% chance at landing the first pick due to finishing the 2022-23 campaign with a 22-60 record, tied for second worst in the league. Their odds were tied with the Detroit Pistons (17-65) and Houston Rockets (22-60) as the three teams with the worst record get an equal shot at the top pick.
The Pistons plummeted to the fifth overall pick, however, while Houston fell to the No. 4 selection.
Though the Spurs won't immediately reap the benefits with Wembanyama, they now have a clear-cut franchise cornerstone to build the team around under Hall of Fame head coach Gregg Popovich. The 7-foot-5 center has one of the most unique skill sets seen in a prospect given his ability to initiate an offense, attack downhill with pace off the bounce, protect the rim at an elite rate and hang with guards while defending the perimeter.
In 44 appearances with Metropolitans 92 in France in 2022-23, Wembanyama logged 20.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.4 assists per game on a 42/28/68 shooting split. All the signs are there that he will develop into an extraordinary player if he's managed properly, which should be the case given Popovich's and the Spurs' history with No. 1 picks (David Robinson, Tim Duncan).
Surrounding Wembanyama with level raisers and youth will be the key for the Spurs' front office. Jeremy Sochan, a 2022 first-rounder, illustrated elite defensive qualities as a small-ball big man and should make for a solid young pairing in the frontcourt.
Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Malaki Branham are three of their top wings, and all are under or at 24 years old going into the 2023-24 campaign. Johnson, the No. 29 overall pick in 2019, is coming off a season where he led the team with 22 points per game and will turn 24 in October as the season commences.
Wembanyama could make significant bank in his rookie season, too. Current salary cap projections could see the No. 1 pick earning a first-year rookie-scale salary of $10.13 million, according to RealGM.com. Wembanyama could receive 120% of that as a first-round pick, which would see that figure rise to $12.16 million.
NBA fans could see Wembanyama on the court as early as the Summer League beginning in early July, though there's no official word on whether he will suit up.
