Projected top picks Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson to square off in exhibitions in Las Vegas
NBA fans will get an early look at the potential top two picks in the 2023 draft next month.
European star Victor Wembanyama, the projected No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, will travel with the Metropolitans 92 from Paris to Las Vegas for a pair of exhibition games on Oct. 4 and 6, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Wembanyama’s team will take on the G League Ignite, which will match him up against projected No. 2 pick Scoot Henderson.
The games, which are set to be broadcast on an ESPN network, are sure to draw plenty of scouts and attention.
Wembanyama is one of the most anticipated players out of Europe in recent memory. The 18-year-old stands 7-foot-4 barefoot and has an 8-foot wingspan, and he was named the French LNB Pro A Best Young Player for two straight years.
Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek described him as “Rudy Gobert mixed with Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis.” Or more simply, he’s “a larger Giannis Antetokounmpo without any weaknesses.” Wembanyama is easily the most talked-about prospect since LeBron James.
Henderson is entering his second season with the Ignite this fall, and is one of three players on the team projected to go in the first round of next year’s draft. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 14 points, five rebounds and 3.6 assists last season, and he’s been turning heads for years.
"I think what separates me from the rest of the players in my draft class is I just played an entire season in the G League," Henderson told Yahoo Sports. "I'm basically a pro. I've been around pro settings and pro development and that's really helped prepare me for next year."
The Ignite will open their season officially on Nov. 4, and the team will play a full 50-game schedule for the first time. Metropolitan 92’s season will start later this month, and they’ll have three games before they travel to Nevada.
