Can the Rockets or Spurs Turn French Toast into Texas Toast and land Wembanyama?
With March Madness filling up our news feeds, online betting slips, and dreams (and nightmares) when we sleep, what better time to take a way too early look at the FanDuel Sportsbook odds for who will top the NBA Draft? It’s no secret that conference tournaments and the Big Dance can make future pro careers, but the player topping everybody’s list won’t be doing the running man this month.Le Consensus Numero Un – Victor Wembanyama
The 19-year-old Frenchman is as big a lock as there has ever been to go No. 1 in June’s NBA Draft with -8000 odds. Wembanyama is crafting his skills in the pros in Europe with the Metropolitans 92, a team in the LNB Pro A, France’s top league.
The seven-plus footer is already a two-time All-Star in France and has played pro ball since 2019. Wembanyama has been touted as the best prospect of his generation, drawing comparisons to the hype around LeBron James in 2003.
If the season ended today, the Detroit Pistons at 15-52 (.224), the Houston Rockets sporting a 15-51 mark (.227), and the 16-49 (.246) San Antonio Spurs would all have a 14 percent chance of landing the top selection in the NBA Draft Lottery.
Everything is Bigger in TexasThe Rockets and Spurs know something about franchise game-changing big men going number one. Houston selected 7′ 4″ Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson out of Virginia with the top pick in 1983.
A year later, the Rockets completed their twin towers build by breaking ground with seven-footer Hakeem Olajuwon out of the University of Houston. The 1984 top selection was one of the best centers of his generation and a no-doubt Hall of Famer.
Three years later, San Antonio would follow suit of their Texas counterparts when they drafted David Robinson number one overall out of Navy. The Spurs would have to wait until the 1989-90 season to see their 7’1″ prize win the NBA Rookie of the Year award as “The Admiral” finished up his naval service for two years before joining the team. Oh ya, Robinson, also a Hall of Famer.
After Robinson missed almost the entire 96-97 season, and the Spurs finished with just 20 wins, lightning struck again in San Antonio. Nearly 10 years to the day after drafting their best player in franchise history at the time, the Spurs leveled up with No. 1 pick Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest. The near seven-footer was a first-ballot Hall of Famer and rewrote the franchise record book after spending all 19 years with the team.
When is the NBA Draft Lottery?Will the lottery balls land like hail in a typical Texas storm and continue the rich history of big men in Houston and San Antonio? Tune in on May 16 when the No 1 selector will be decided.
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