Should Knicks tank for 2023 NBA Draft phenom Victor Wembanyama?
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve likely at least heard of the epic matchups between top prospects Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson that took place in Vegas this past week. These two are seen as generational prospects, with many, including myself, deeming Wembanyama the greatest prospect in basketball history.
With the way this New York Knicks roster is currently built, it is very odd to see the team put such a focus on two prospects they have virtually no chance of landing. It begs the question, why would the Knicks make an appearance to scout these 2023 NBA Draft prospects knowing the roster they have?
Knicks are in attendance for Scoot Henderson and G League Ignite vs. Victor Wembanyama and Metropolitans 92 in Las Vegas tonight. I’m sure all 30 teams have someone at the game.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 5, 2022
However, this question is a lot more simple to answer than you may think. As Ian Begley said, all 30 teams likely had someone at the games as these two prospects are already bringing some of the best basketball that’s ever been seen, and they’re only 18.
With these two prospects showing off just how generational they really are, many NBA fans have begun to discuss their team’s chances of tanking for a chance at landing one of these two. Obviously, the Knicks are not currently in the position to tank, but when you take into scope just how amazing these two players are, the chance to land one of these two becomes extremely tantalizing.
Reporting on remarkable French teen Victor Wembanyama for our debut episode of NBA Countdown pic.twitter.com/Lq8GNNsMmq
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 7, 2022
Should Knicks tank for chance to land Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson?
In all honesty, and I know people will not agree with me on this, I truly think it may be worth tanking this season to try and land one of these prospects. The skillset they bring, especially Wembanyama, gives them the chance to be some of the best players this league has ever seen.
However, with the current state of the Knicks roster, there is almost no chance we see this, and the team having scouts at the game was likely just to see what the players are capable of.
In all my years of watching basketball, I have never seen a player like Wembanyama. He’s seven-foot-four with a genuine KD skillset who still has the ability to work the post and be an elite defender. Sheesh. The basketball world is truly not ready for what he has to bring to the table at a professional level.
Victor Wembanyama makes it look easy with this absurd running pullup 3 falling out of bounds from the corner demonstrating his exceptional footwork and body control. We've never seen anything remotely close to this before from a player this size. pic.twitter.com/0pgRWuVSUj
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) October 6, 2022
Several teams will likely tank their season away to try and secure either Wembanyama or Henderson, making the odds of the Knicks landing one of these prospects (if they do tank) less likely.
I mean, really, words cannot describe the things that Wembanyama is capable of on the basketball floor. He truly has a chance to be one of the greatest players this game has ever seen which makes it all the more unfortunate that New York will not be able to tank.
This is not a knock on the front office at all, as I like almost all of the moves the team made this offseason, but it is difficult not to salivate at the thought of Wembanyama or Henderson in New York.
As nice as it would be to see the Knicks take a shot at one of these legendary prospects, the team is simply not built to lose that many games, even if they decided to trade some key veterans to lose some games. The young core the Knicks have is too good to be at the bottom of the league.
